Witches, bubbles, & broomsticks
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: What if something had gone slightly wrong when Elphaba tried to fake her own death? Slightly adapted final scene of the musical; most of it will be postmusical. Elphiyero. If you like this, please check out the sequel: Dangers, Friends, & Endless Love.
1. Good News

**Hi. So, uhm... I'm new. This is my first fanfic. Like... ever. I had some serious doubts about putting this up here, but I figured it couldn't hurt - worst case scenario would be for you to tell me it absolutely sucks, in which case I'll stop torturing you and won't update anymore. But I just wanted to know what other people think. Reviews would be very much appreciated - but like I said, first fanfic ever, so take pity.**

**It also happens to be written in English, which isn't my native language. I hope that isn't too obvious, but please feel free to point out to me any grammar or spelling mistakes you come across!**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

Upon hearing the good news, Morgana Morrible rejoicified along with the rest of Oz.

She was very pleased with how the situation had turned out; the Wicked Witch of the West, the greatest threat to her and the Wizard's reign, had been successfully eliminated. How the little farm girl had managed to get close enough to the Witch to melt her, remained a mystery to Madam Morrible, but she didn't particularly care; all that mattered was that she _had _done it. All in all, she decided, things couldn't have gone better.

It was only when she was heading towards the Throne Room to meet the Wizard – who, no doubt, would want to discuss with her what had happened; it had been a big development, after all – that the doubts started to rise. According to the farm girl – Dorothy – and her travelling companions, Dorothy had succeeded in melting the Witch by throwing a bucket full of water at her, the water causing the Witch to melt. But, Madam Morrible mused, slowing her pace when the thought occurred to her, was it even possible for someone to melt because of plain water? The people of Oz believed the Wicked Witch to be so evil that pure water could melt her, that much was certain, but hadn't that been a rumour Morrible and the Wizard themselves had spread? She had a bad feeling about this – a feeling she couldn't just ignore. This matter was too important.

Then it struck her – the meaning of the feeling. A memory that, much to her dismay, more or less proved her feeling to be right. She hadseen Elphaba get wet before – years ago, at Shiz University. Morrible had been looking for the green girl to hand her the invitation from the Wizard and it had been raining. _And, _noted Morrible, who was really starting to worry now, _the rain didn't have any effect on her. _She hadn't been in pain, she didn't melt, her skin didn't blister, the water had just touched her and done… nothing. Nothing besides getting her wet.

Of course that could have changed since then, but now that the idea was planted in her mind, she couldn't seem to shake it off. _Could it be?_ Morgana wondered. _Could it be a setup?_

Could the Wicked Witch of the West still be alive?

In a matter of seconds, she decided to take a detour on her way to the Throne Room and visit the Captain of the Guard – the new one, of course, since the old one had run away with the Wicked Witch. He and the other guards were having a small party in their chambers, laughing and cheering and drinking beer, but they all jumped up to salute when they noticed her. 'Good day to you, Madam,' the Captain said, bowing and almost toppling over in the process; he had clearly had a few beers to much already.

'Good day, Captain,' Morrible replied. 'Can I speak to you for a moment? In private?' She couldn't waste any more time than was absolutely necessary. If the Witch was still alive, the guards would have to go after her as soon as possible or she might escape and vanish forever.

The Captain nodded and walked over to a door at the far end of the room. Madam Morrible entered the small chamber behind the door and as soon as the Captain had closed the door behind him, she cut straight to the chase. 'I have reasons to believe the Wicked Witch is still alive,' she told him, upon which he went a bit pale –_ well, _Morrible noted, _at least he looks sober now_. 'I need you and a few of your most trustworthy men to get over to Kiamo Ko as soon as possible to see if that is the case. If that is indeed so, _deal with her_.' She left no question about how the Witch was to be dealt with.

The Captain of the Guard saluted. 'We're on our way, Madame,' he assured her in the most serious tone she had ever heard him speak in. 'If the Witch is still alive, we'll find her.'

Morrible nodded, but stopped him when he made a move to open the door. 'One more thing, Captain.'

He looked at her. 'Yes?'

She looked him straight in the eyes to convince him of the importance of what she was about to say. 'Do not tell _anyone_.'

'Of course not, Madam,' he agreed, before leaving the room. Morrible smiled to herself. Whether she had been right or not in thinking the Witch wasn't really dead, didn't matter. One way or another, Elphaba was not to see the sun rise ever again.

It seemed, however, that this day had even more surprises in store for her. She was just discussing the whole situation with the Wizard when Glinda turned up at the Throne Room.

'Oh Glinda, I thought you'd be out festivating!' exclaimed Morrible, who hadn't expected the blonde girl to show up. She was a bit worried; how long had Glinda been in the room? Could she have heard anything… well, anything she wasn't supposed to have heard?

No, Morrible decided after doing some quick thinking. They had not been discussing anything that important – thank Oz. She wouldn't want Glinda to turn against them, not when she was so loved by all of Oz.

Glinda didn't answer to Morrible's remark; instead, she turned towards the Wizard and held out a small, green bottle.

'This was Elphaba's.'

'What?' Morgana asked, slightly irritated at the interruption, especially since it didn't really seem to make sense what Glinda was saying. The Wizard, however, sat up a bit, his gaze fixed on the bottle. 'What's that you say?'

'It was a keepsake,' replied Glinda. 'It was her mother's. I've only seen a little green bottle like this one other time and it was right here, in this room. _You _offered me a drink from it.'

The Wizard took the bottle. 'This belonged… to her mother?' he asked slowly. Morrible saw his eyes widen when it finally dawned on him. 'Oh my lord…'

'So she was yours all along,' Glinda said. It wasn't a question – merely a statement. Morrible nodded as the pieces of the puzzle fell together. 'That's it! That's why she had such power! She was a child of both worlds!'

The Wizard seemed broken now, which worried Madam Morrible. He didn't respond; he just sat there, clutching the bottle and staring at it. Surprisingly, it was Glinda who suddenly spoke up with an authority in her voice neither the Wizard nor Morrible had ever heard before.

'I want you to leave Oz. I'll make the pronouncement myself: that the strains of Wizardship have been too much, and you're taking an indefinite leave of absence.' When the Wizard didn't respond, she shouted, 'Did you _hear_ what I said?!'

Much to Morgana's dismay, the Wizard merely nodded and muttered: 'Yes, your Goodness.'

'You'd better go get your balloon ready,' Glinda suggested rather bluntly. The Wizard didn't seem to be able to fully grasp the fact that he had basically murdered his own daughter; he seemed truly affected by the revelation and left the room without protest. This worried Morrible even more. She knew what was going to happen next; Glinda had never really liked Madam Morrible and Morrible knew the younger woman's dislike had turned to almost downward hatred ever since she had declared Elphaba a Wicked Witch and thus brought the hatred of Oz down on her. Elphaba being murdered was the final straw; Glinda was probably about to do something that would remove Madame Morrible from the Ozian government permanently. She also knew she would not be able to avoid it. With the Wizard gone, the people would only listen to one other person in all of Oz, a person they knew and trusted to do the right thing… and that person was not Morgana Morrible.

She turned out to be right when Glinda suddenly shouted, 'Guards!'

'Glinda, dear.' Morrible made a final, rather desperate, attempt to save herself. 'I know we've had our minuscule differentiations in the past…'

'Madam,' the blonde girl interrupted, 'have you ever considered how you'd fare in captivity?'

The older woman stared at her blankly. 'What…'

'Cap-ti-vi-ty,' Glinda spelled out for her, as if talking to a five year old. '_Pri-son_. Personally I don't think you'd hold up very well. You see,' she started mimicking Morrible while repeating the exact same words her former headmistress had said to her when she had handed Glinda her training wand, so many years ago, 'it is my personal opinion that you do not have what it takes. I hope you prove me wrong.'

Morrible glared at her, knowing what would come next and suddenly regretting having ever said the words. She hated the irony of this.

'I doubt you will,' Glinda finished her sentence, as Morgana had expected her to do. 'Take her away!'

The next thing she knew, Morgana Morrible was being dragged away by the guards, down a few sets of stairs, to the dungeons. She cursed herself for letting this happen, but at the same time knew it had been inevitable from the moment the Wizard broke upon realizing Elphaba had been his daughter. _Thank Oz I sent those guards to kill the witch _before _going to the Throne Room,_ Morrible thought, while the guards threw her in a prison cell and locked the door. The woman smirked, despite her current situation. _I'm going down… but at least I'm taking her down with me._

* * *

It took the guards only a few hours to get to Kiamo Ko. The sun was just setting when they arrived; they dismounted and tied up the horses, then turned towards their Captain for further instructions.

'Search the castle,' the latter commanded. 'Look for hidden chambers, tunnels, trapdoors – things like that. If you find the Witch, don't hesitate for a clock-tick. Kill her instantly.' He fell silent and the soldiers had already turned to act out their task when the Captain of the Guard spoke up again. 'And men?'

They all turned to face him expectantly.

'Be careful,' the Captain told them harshly. 'The Witch is immensely dangerous.'

The guards nodded and, already readying their spears just in case, spread through the castle.

* * *

Elphaba had no idea whatsoever of how much time had passed since she had pretended to melt, hiding underneath this trapdoor in the process. Somehow, it felt like no time had passed at all, and at the same time it seemed like it had all happened days ago. She was pretty sure it had worked, though; she had heard the Witch Hunters cheer, celebrating her death, their voices muffled by the floorboards that separated them from her. _If only they knew I was just underneath their feet_.

She had heard them congratulate Dorothy, the little farm girl that had 'killed' the Wicked Witch. They had left not long thereafter; with the Witch gone, there was no reason for them to stay behind in this old castle. They had probably went back to the Emerald City to party with the rest of Oz.

She did some quick calculations; the Scarecrow had probably gone with them, to avoid potential suspicion, but she was sure he would make his way back here as fast as he could. He'd probably be back within a day, two days at the most. _And then we can leave Oz together,_ Elphaba thought, trying to suppress all the feelings that came with that thought. She still couldn't really believe what had happened and what they were about to do. Fiyero loved her and they were running away together. Glinda, the best and only friend she had ever had, was to stay behind, thinking them both to be dead. That was her biggest regret, but she knew she couldn't tell Glinda she was alive or someone else might find out – with disastrous consequences. Just for this one time, she had to be selfish in order to save herself and the man she loved.

The floorboards above her head suddenly creaked and she held her breath. _He couldn't have gotten here so soon!_ she thought, pricking up her ears. She heard voices. The floorboards creaked again.

'She's not here!' a harsh voice said right above her head, making her jump. 'Perhaps she did melt after all.'

'If Morrible suspected her to still be alive, I'd assume she has her reasons for that,' countered another voice. Soldiers. No doubt about that. Elphaba froze, as if not moving would lessen the chance of them discoverating her, while her mind rapidly processed what she was hearing. Morrible had suspected something and she had sent these guards to make sure the green witch was really dead. How could she have underestimated her former headmistress like this? She had always known Morrible to be an intelligent woman – she should have taken into account the fact that she might figure out what the green girl was up to.

'She told me to look for hidden chambers or something the like,' continued the second voice she had heard.

'I still can't believe she had us rushing over here within a few hours to look for a Witch that is already gone,' a third voice grumbled. 'I would much rather have stayed at the party!'

'We all would have,' the second voice, probably their new Captain of the Guard, spoke sternly. 'But this is a very important matter. If the Witch was to still be alive, we would all be in danger.'

Another soldier muttered something unintelligible and Elphaba heard the floorboards squeak again when they started moving around the room. She had never prayed before in her life, but now she closed her eyes, huddled away in the far corner of the small space beneath the trapdoor, and sent a silent prayer up to anyone above there who might be listening.

It did no good, though, because only clock-ticks later, one of the soldiers exclaimed: 'Look at this! These are seams, right here in the floor!' She kept her eyes closed as she heard them come closer. 'It's a trapdoor,' one of them concluded. 'She could very well be in here! Weapons ready!'

She could hear the clattering of metal and opened her eyes at the moment the trapdoor swung open. She looked straight into the startled face of the Captain of the Guard.

'Sweet Oz!' he cried out in utter surprise. Unfortunately, it didn't take them very long to recover from the shock of seeing her; they all jumped down and suddenly the small space was filled with soldiers. Seven or eight of them, Elphaba decided after some quick observations. She was far outnumbered, but she had magic on her side. Maybe she could overpower them and get away.

'Prepare to die, witch,' one of the soldiers growled and they all poked their spears in her direction. She concentrated, collecting her power, and made a hand gesture; every single spear in the room shattered, spraying splinters of wood and pieces of metal through the room.

The soldiers just stood there for a few moments, staring first at what was left of their weapons, then at each other… and then at her.

'Attack!' the Captain boomed suddenly, and before she knew it, the soldiers were all over her. She tried to focus and use her magic, but more soldiers were appearing every clock-tick and she was so busy trying to get them off her back that she couldn't concentrate. With their spears gone, they started using brute force to try and overpower her; they started beating her, and for every guard she managed to get out of her way, three more jumped on her. There were too many of them; it was only a matter of time before they would either capture or kill her, and she knew it.

This was a fight she knew she couldn't possibly win.

* * *

'That is enough,' the Captain of the Guard decided some moments later. The soldiers finally stopped kicking and beating the Wicked Witch and climbed back up, all except for one of them, who stayed behind to check on the Witch – to see if she was really dead. The Captain looked down the trapdoor at the bloody heap lying in a corner. There was no sign of life whatsoever. 'Is she dead?'

The soldier who was still with the Witch nudged her between the ribs with his foot. She didn't respond. He then knelt next to her body and started shaking her, then slapping her in the face. Finally, the soldier looked up to his Captain and nodded. 'She's dead.'

'Good job, everyone!' the Captain said, raising his voice so everyone could hear him. He helped his soldier back up and carefully closed the trapdoor behind him. The Witch would remain in her hiding place to rot. Oz would never know the truth; Morrible had already told him they would officially stick with the melting story, though she had assured him that he, as well as his men, would receive a reward that suited their wonderful achievement – and that was all he really cared about.

'Let's head back to the Emerald City,' the Captain then decided. 'If we leave now and keep going all night, we could be back by midmorning and join the others in the festivities.'

The men all cheered and went back downstairs, to their horses. It wasn't long after that before they galloped in the direction of the Emerald City, the stamping of the horses' hooves trailing away in the otherwise silent night.

* * *

It took Fiyero more time than he had anticipated to get back to the castle. He had travelled back to the Emerald City along with Dorothy, Boq and the Lion – a trip that hadn't taken that long. However, he had been stuck in the City for two days, forced to party along with the other Ozians and to stick with Dorothy while everyone congratulated her and her travelling companions. It had only been that morning Dorothy had left – she was probably back in Kansas by now, though he still had no idea where that place would be. One way or another, he was finally able to leave the Emerald City to get back to Kiamo Ko.

It didn't take him too long to get back. He had money, so he bought a horse and forced the animal to run as fast as it could, eager to finally get back to the woman he loved. As he was holding the reigns and looked down at his hands, he noticed, not for the first time, that the Scarecrow spell was wearing off. It had started a few days ago; slowly, his cloth skin was being replaced with real skin, his body started to feel heavier, more real. He was turning into himself again. He hadn't known that this would happen – he even doubted if Elphaba had – but he was glad it did. He himself did not particularly care; he owed Elphaba his life and if being able to be with her meant him being a Scarecrow, then a Scarecrow he would be. But he just _knew _she would feel guilty about him remaining a Scarecrow for the rest of his life, even though she had done nothing wrong – on the contrary. She had saved his life. That was the most important reason why he was happy to see the spell wearing off – not for his own sake, but for hers.

He nudged the horse to walk faster, fixing his gaze on the horizon. There, in the distance, he could see the contours of the castle. _Just a few more hours,_ he told himself. _Just a few more hours before I will see her again. And this time, nothing in the entire world will be able to separate us ever again._


	2. Blood, Sweat, & Tears

**AU: Thank you so much for the reviews! It's positively amazing to know other people take time to read what you have written - and it's even better to know they're actually enjoying it! So, this is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy that as well! Please review! **

**Disclaimer: I'm not that girl.**

* * *

It was not long thereafter that Fiyero heard the sound of multiple horsemen coming from the opposite direction. He hesitated for just a moment before he decided hiding would be the smartest thing to do; with the spell wearing off, he looked more like himself every day, and if someone would recognize him… well, he could imagine the consequences to be quite… disastrous.

So he dismounted and lead his horse off the road, into the woods, where they hid between the bushes and the trees. The riders passed by a few minutes later – about fifteen or twenty of them, he guessed, all on horseback. Their uniforms made them easy to identify as… guards?

Fiyero might not be as smart as Elphaba, but his mind rapidly connected the pieces together and he gasped when he realized what this meant. A band of guards, probably heading towards the Emerald City, coming from the west… coming from Kiamo Ko?

_Now don't be paranoid,_ he told himself sternly. _There is no way anyone could have known about Elphaba hiding there – they all think she's dead. It's probably just a coincidence._

_Do you really believe that? _an soft voice in his head asked him sceptically. He shook his head, as if the thoughts would vanish by doing that. The truth was: he didn't really believe that. He tried to suppress the feeling of dread that suddenly washed over him; he led his horse back to the road, remounted and kicked the animal in the flanks, almost desperate now to get to Kiamo Ko as soon as was humanly possible – if only to reassure himself that nothing had happened to her, that she was safe.

* * *

After tying up the horse, he nearly ran up several flights of stairs before reaching the tower chamber. He couldn't help but notice there was something different about the room, although he could not put into words exactly what that something was. It was more like a feeling, really – the feeling someone had been in here.

He dropped to the floor and knocked on the trapdoor. 'It worked!'

No response. Once again, he pushed away the panic that threatened to overcome him, and he knocked again. 'Elphaba?'

Again, no answer. Carefully, he opened the trapdoor and poked his head inside. 'Elphaba? Where are you?'

Now he _really_ got scared. He jumped down into the room beneath the trapdoor and lit the one lantern that was down there. He looked around. There was no sign of Elphaba, but what he did see, didn't reassure him at all. Shattered spears. Smears of blood on the walls and on the floor. A small heap of ripped cloth, blood and… hair and green skin?

'Elphaba!' He was by her side within a clock-tick, cradling her limp form in his arms. 'Fae?' He couldn't even begin to imagine what she had been through; she was covered in blood, almost every visible part of her skin was bruised, and he was certain the soldiers had broken more than one bone in her body.

He tried to wake her, but she didn't respond at all. She didn't speak, she didn't move; he wasn't even sure she was breathing. She was either dead or dying, and there was nothing he could do to save her.

Finally surrendering himself to his feelings, he buried his face in her hair and started crying like he had never cried before. This was supposed to be the start of the rest of their life, their life together, a life that had been happier than the life they had had before. Now it wasn't a start anymore; it was an ending. The end of her life, the end of his hope, the end of everything he loved and cared about.

He sat there crying for what felt like hours, but it was only when he pulled back a little to wipe away his tears that his face levelled with hers… and that he felt her breath against his cheek.

It was faint – so faint it was barely even noticeable, but it was there nonetheless. He pulled back some more, so he could take a look at her face, and carefully caressed her cheek. 'Fae?'

She stirred – again, faint and barely noticeable, but he noticed anyway. Her eyelids fluttered half open for a moment, although she didn't seem to really see him, and he stroked her raven black hair – the only part of her that didn't seem to be bruised or hurt or broken. 'Fae? Can you hear me?'

Her eyes closed again and for a heartbeat, he thought this was the end – that she had died right there and then in his arms. But then a soft sigh escaped her lips and her eyelids fluttered open again, but it appeared she couldn't focus enough to keep her eyes open, or even to really see anything. 'Yero?' she whispered softly, and he felt like crying again, but he composed himself. 'I'm here,' he reassured her, his voice thick with restrained tears. 'I'm here, Fae, I'm with you. You're going to be okay. I promise.' He wasn't sure if he could promise such a thing, since he didn't know the faintest thing about medical care and, to be honest, he wasn't even sure there was anything he could do at all to save her, but it seemed to reassure her. She closed her eyes again and softly mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep.

He sat there for a moment, holding her, wondering desperately what to do next. She needed a doctor, and soon, but where would he find a doctor willing to help him save the Wicked Witch of the West? Even if he could reach one – a doctor, that is – he was sure they wouldn't help him. They'd probably just let her die – or send message to the Emerald City for some guards to come take her in.

Magic was probably the best chance he got of saving her, but _she _was the one with the powers and she wasn't in any condition to even try and save herself. He couldn't think of anyone else possessing magic who would be willing and able to save Elphaba – except for Glinda, perhaps.

His eyes snapped open. Glinda. That was it! Glinda could save her!

It would be incredibly dangerous, of course. Now that he was almost back to normal, anyone might recognize him as the former Captain of the Guards – the one that was supposed to be tortured to death, not even to mention the chance of the people recognizing Elphaba. Green skin was hard to miss. He might not be able to get to Glinda, and even if he did, she might not be able to help them. And how was he going to get Elphaba to the Emerald City in the first place? On foot, carrying her? By horseback? He didn't really have any other option, but there was a pretty good chance, considering her current condition, that she would not even survive the trip to the City.

And still, he decided, he had to do it. Staying here certainly wasn't going to do her any good; he would much rather risk everything for even the slightest chance to save her than give up on her right now. He couldn't live without her; if she died, then he would want to die with her, and so he was willing to put everything on the line for her. Everything.

* * *

Somehow, he had managed to get her out of the trapdoor without hurting her too much, and he had carefully wrapped her up in cloaks and blankets – to keep her warm and protected as well as to hide her skin. He had mounted his horse, Elphaba still in his arms, and left Kiamo Ko right away. He was wearing a cloak himself, the hood covering his face, to keep anyone from recognizing him; he hoped it would be enough.

He was riding as fast as he dared, which wasn't really that fast at all; it was rather difficult to keep himself as well as Elphaba from falling of the back of the horse, and it was perhaps even more difficult to avoid the bumps and holes in the road. Every now and then, he could hear Elphaba whimper softly – a sound that nearly broke his heart, it sounded so helpless and weak, but at least those whimpers convinced him that she was still alive. She didn't wake up, however, which worried him. _It won't be long now,_he tried to comfort himself. _We're almost there. Glinda can save her. Glinda will know what to do. _He tried to convince himself of that, even if he wasn't sure at all that she did.

The sun rose and moved from east to west, but Fiyero didn't stop once. He had brought some water with him, of which he drank a bit whenever he felt thirsty; he tried to make Elphaba drink some as well, but she was still unconscious and he couldn't get her to swallow. Finally, after hours and hours of endless riding, the large gates that gave access to the Emerald City appeared before him. Those gates used to be strictly guarded, with the guards interrogating everyone who tried to get past them. Luckily, however, as soon as they had heard the Wicked Witch to be dead, they had opened the gates for anyone who felt like visiting the City; they didn't believe it to be necessary to guard the city anymore, with their greatest enemy gone. This, of course, made it much easier for Fiyero to sneak into the Emerald City and disappear into the network of small, dark alleys, leaving his horse behind at the gates.

What also helped, was the fact that everyone in the entire city was celebrating on the giant square in front of the palace. He didn't encounter much people on his way to the palace, and the few people he did run into, didn't pay attention to him; they were all still chattering about the big events that had come to pass lately. The death of the Wicked Witch of the West, but also the departure of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the exposure of the Wizard's press secretary as a traitor, not to mention Glinda taking over the reign of Oz.

Fiyero crossed the city until he was only one block away from the palace; it was only then he stopped to think about what he had to do next. Since he was still carrying a badly injured Elphaba, sneaking into Glinda's rooms unseen was impossible, especially since he knew Glinda's rooms to be on the second floor. He would never be able to climb with Elphaba in his arms, let alone unseen, and he wasn't going to leave her behind. In the end, he came to a conclusion – not a pleasant one, but probably the only possible one: he had to go through the front door.

Sneaking past the soldiers guarding the front doors of the palace turned out to be quite easy, since there were only two of them; one was asleep and the other one looked positively wasted. Fiyero simply walked past them and they didn't even notice him doing so.

He climbed a few flights of stairs, not meeting anyone on his way up – even the sentries were probably out festivating, he decided - and walked up to stand in front of the giant doors of Glinda's rooms.

The two guards outside didn't particularly like this – unfortunately, these ones didn't seem to have had _any _drinks at all. 'What are you doing here?' demanded one of them. 'How did you get in?'

Fiyero wisely decided not to answer that last question. 'Please,' he said, his despair unintentionally showing in his voice. 'I need help.'

The guards looked at the man standing in front of him and then at the bundle he was carrying. One of them realized what the bundle was and his eyes widened. 'Is that… a dead body?'

_She's not dead! _Fiyero wanted to shout at him, but he lowered his eyes and shook his head. 'She is still alive, but…' He almost couldn't get the words out, but somehow he managed to say it. 'But not for long if she doesn't get help. Please. Lady Glinda is the only one who could help us.'

The guards now looked at each other questioningly; finally, one nodded. 'I'll go see if Lady Glinda is available,' he announced. 'Stay here.' He opened the door and Fiyero heard people talking. Finally, the guard came back out. 'The Lady Glinda will see you now,' he announced and relief washed all over Fiyero. 'Thank you,' he told the guards sincerely. Then he entered the room behind the giant doors.

Glinda was already rushing towards them. 'Oh, dear,' she muttered, and then she said, louder: 'Put her on the bed, over there, will you?' She clearly had no idea that the people standing in front of her were her former fiancé and her best friend, whom she both presumed to be dead. 'I'll go get the palace doctor,' she then decided, looking satisfied with that decision.

Fiyero, who had gently put Elphaba down on the bed as Glinda had asked, spun around and grabbed Glinda's wrist. The blonde cried out softly in surprise and Fiyero tightened his grip. 'Glinda,' he said urgently, 'listen to me. You can_not _call anyone. No one can know we're here. Understand?'

'Who are you?' she demanded, pulling herself free from his grip with a sharp gesture. 'What do you want?'

'Like I said, I want help,' said Fiyero softly, answering her last – and easiest – question first. Then he took a deep breath. 'I'll tell you who we are,' he continued, knowing Glinda was to find out sooner or later. 'Just don't… don't freak out.'

Glinda let most unladylike snort. 'I _never '_freak out'.' She shook her head, quite angry now. 'Who are you, anyway, to tell me what I should or shouldn't do?'

'Your ex-fiancé,' Fiyero told her earnestly. He saw Glinda pale visibly and he pulled back the hood of his cloak so that she could see his face.

'Fiyero…' she whispered, hardly believing her own eyes. Then her gaze fell upon the shape on the bed. 'Then who is…'

Wordlessly, Fiyero went over to the bed and gently unwrapped some of the cloaks and blankets Elphaba was covered in. As soon as Glinda recognized the green girl's face, her face went almost white. She opened her mouth… and let out an impossibly high-pitched shriek that made Fiyero resist the urge to cover his ears. 'Glinda…' he began, but then she suddenly collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. 'I'm so sorry!' she wailed. 'It's all my fault! It's my fault you died! I'm so, so sorry!'

'Glinda, we're not dea-'

'I deserve this!' the blonde cried, not hearing him. 'I deserve for your spirits to haunt me for the rest of my life!'

'We're not spirits, we're-'

'I'm so sorry!' Glinds sobbed. 'I'm so, so, so sorry!'

'GLINDA!' Fiyero finally shouted. The blonde looked up at him and blinked. 'What?' she sniffed.

He had to use all of his willpower to remain calm – the clock was ticking mercilessly. Elphaba was dying, for Oz's sake! 'What did I say about not freaking out?'

Now she looked guilty. 'Sorry.'

'We're not dead, Glinda,' Fiyero went on. 'We're alive. Now, I'll tell you about all of that later, but first…'

'You're not dead,' interrupted Glinda, clearly not believing what she was hearing.

'Yes.'

'You're alive.'

'We're alive,' confirmed Fiyero.

'Sweet Oz,' Glinda breathed, barely audible.

Then she fainted.


	3. Thank Goodness

**AU: Hi guys! Thanks again for the reviews - I really appreciate it :). So... I don't really have anything else to say, so let's just go on with the story, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: Ce n'est pas de moi. Does that make any sense? My French has gotten a bit rusty over the years :3.**

* * *

When Lady Glinda the Good, formerly known as Galinda Upland of the _Upper _Uplands, opened her eyes, she saw a familiar face hovering over her that nearly made her scream again. The owner of the face, however, quickly pressed his hand over her mouth. 'Now don't scream, all right?'

She nodded, since she couldn't speak with his hand still covering her mouth, and he removed his hand. She sat up, feeling dizzy. It was only then she noticed that her face was wet… and not because she had cried. 'What did you do?'

Fiyero shrugged, almost apologetically. 'I poured cold water in your face,' he explained rather sheepishly. 'I'm sorry about that, but… well, to put it bluntly: I needed to wake you up one way or another. I can't handle your hysterics right now.'

'I wasn't being hysterical!' she protested, sitting up. Fiyero shot her a sceptic look, which she chose to ignore. Then she looked him in the eye. 'Fiyero… what happened? What are you doing here? How are you still alive?'

'It doesn't really matter right now what has happened,' he interrupted. 'I just… I need your help.' He gestured towards the bed, which was, Glinda now noticed, still occupied by her best friend – her _dying _best friend, she then remembered. She quickly got to her feet and went over to the bed. She carefully removed all the cloaks and blankets and gasped when the full extent of Elphaba's injuries got through to her. 'Fiyero… What in Oz makes you think I can help her?'

'I couldn't think of anyone else!' Fiyero started to pace and she couldn't help but notice the despair in his voice and the tears that started to form in his eyes. 'A regular doctor wouldn't be able to help her – she needs magic! I, I just…' He fell silent, but Glinda knew exactly what he meant. She took a deep, quavering breath, trying not to think about what would happen if she couldn't do this. 'Now,' she murmured to herself, 'where could I find a healing spell?' Her face brightened almost immediately. 'Of course!' She ran towards her wardrobe and started pushing clothes aside. It didn't take her too long to find the Grimmerie, in the back of the wardrobe, and she quickly got it out. Murmuring to herself, she started flipping the pages, scanning the pages.

'You have the Grimmerie?' Fiyero exclaimed in surprise. Glinda nodded, not looking up. 'Elphie gave it to me when…' Her voice trailed away. Fiyero didn't ask her to finish her sentence, since it was clearly a painful memory for her and he knew what she was going to say anyway. Instead, he asked another question. 'Can you read it?'

'Well… uhm… no,' the blonde confessed. 'Not really. I haven't really had the time to figure it out in the past few days, what with all the festivities going on…' She shook her head, sending her curly hair flying around her face. 'I have been able to figure out some simpler spells, and I think I know how to pronounce the words… but that won't be of any use if I don't know what spell I'm casting.'

Fiyero was still looking at her and didn't say anything. She was avoiding his gaze; she couldn't bear seeing the hope that had been there slowly fade away when he realized there wasn't really anything she could do to help.

'On the other hand,' she went on in an almost painfully optimistic tone of voice, 'we're more or less desperate, aren't we? So no matter what spell I cast, it's not likely to be any worse than what will happen if I don't cast a spell at all – which would be Elphie dying.' All kinds of feelings threatened to overwhelm her, but she resolutely pushed them aside. There would be plenty of time for those feelings later. Right now, someone's life was depending on her keeping herself together.

'All right then.' The blonde was flipping through the pages of the Grimmerie again, frowning slightly. Fiyero had gone to sit on the bed with Elphaba, cradling the green girl in his arms and whispering to her in a reassuring way. Glinda nearly burst into tears at seeing that, but she managed somehow to compose herself. Finally, she came across a spell that looked as if it just might work.

'Okay,' she said, setting the heavy book on her lap. 'I think I may have found something.'

Fiyero looked up with hope written all across his face. 'You do?'

She nodded slowly. 'I can't guarantee anything, of course, but… well, it's a spell that has something to do with healing. I'm not sure what it will heal, exactly, or how strong it will be, since I don't understand most of it… but I think it might be worth a try.'

'I trust you, Glinda,' Fiyero stated sincerely. 'If you think it might work, then I trust your judgment on that.'

'I'm not sure that's a good idea,' the blonde girl muttered under her breath, but then she sighed and nodded again. 'All right, then. Here we go.'

She sat herself on the bed, next to Fiyero and Elphaba, and started chanting. She spoke very slowly, careful to pronounce every word the right way, and when the last syllable left her lips, she looked over at her friend. Fiyero softly stroked her hair. 'Elphaba? Can you hear me?'

For a few awful moments, Glinda was convinced she had killed her friend by casting that spell on her. She was already hovering on the edge of hysteria again when the green girl let out a soft sigh and murmured something unintelligible. Glinda finally let out her breath. 'Well… at least she's not dead.' She observed her friend for a few clock-ticks and then concluded, 'but she doesn't seem to have gotten any better, either.'

'Yes she does,' Fiyero answered quietly. Elphaba stirred and whimpered softly, and Glinda threw Fiyero a sceptical look. 'Her breathing is much easier now,' Fiyero explained. 'Didn't you notice? It probably means the healing spell worked – to some extent, at least.'

Glinda listened intently for a moment and eventually had to admit that Fiyero was right. Where Elphaba's breathing had been very faint and irregular a few moments before, it was much more steady and clear now. Perhaps the spell had had an effect after all.

'You're right,' Glinda admitted. 'But is that enough?'

Fiyero shook his head. 'I don't know. But I don't think there's anything else we can do, now is there?'

'There's no other spell in the Grimmerie, if that's what you mean,' Glinda said. 'I've been through the entire book three times already. The spell I just cast was the only healing spell in there – as far as I could tell, anyway.'

'Would it have any effect if you'd cast it again?' Fiyero wondered. The blonde girl shook her head. 'If it didn't work the first time, it won't work the second time. And if it _did _work the first time, casting it a second time would probably do more bad than good. To be quite honest, I'm not willing to take that risk. Not until we first see how this turns out.'

Fiyero nodded. 'All right. Then we'll just have to wait.'

'You can go to sleep, if you want to,' Glinda offered. 'I'll watch over Elphie.'

Fiyero shook his head. 'Thanks, Glinda, but I'd much rather stay awake.'

She understood that, of course – quite frankly, she hadn't expected him to decide otherwise. 'All right. Then I'll stay awake with you.'

'Glinda…'

'You could explain me everything that happened,' suggested Glinda. 'You know… how the two of you are still alive. What exactly happened. Since you were planning on staying awake anyway, I mean.'

Fiyero nodded slowly. 'All right, then.' He pushed himself up to lean his back against the headboard and carefully positioned Elphaba so that she was resting against him, her head on his shoulder. Glinda made herself comfortable at their feet, across from where Fiyero and Elphaba were, legs crossed and an expression of utter curiosity on her face.

Fiyero hesitated for a moment, not sure where to begin. He decided to start with his own near-death experience and told Glinda what had happened after the guards had dragged him to the cornfields, intending to torture him to make him tell them Elphaba's whereabouts. He told her how he had lost consciousness after being beaten by the guards and how he had been convinced that he was going to die, but that Elphaba had cast a spell on him to save his life. 'You can still see it,' he said, showing her one of his hands. 'The spell's almost worn off, but if you look closely, you can still see… well, it's almost like a thin layer of cloth… on my skin.'

Glinda studied his hand, then squinted and looked at his face. 'I thought there was something different about you. That must have been it.' She sat back again. 'What happened next?'

He told her how he had sent message to Kiamo Ko, to let Elphaba know he was still alive, and Glinda's head shot up. 'So _that _is what she meant!' she exclaimed. 'When she received your note and told me we were never to see your face again, I thought that meant you had died!' She wrinkled her nose. 'Did she even know the spell was going to wear off after a while?'

Fiyero shook his head. 'I don't think so. I didn't know it myself until it started to show, a few days ago.' Elphaba moaned softly and Fiyero interrupted himself to whisper some soothing words in her ear and softly rubbed her back. 'It's okay, Fae, it's okay,' Glinda heard him whisper. 'You'll be okay. Everything is going to be all right, I promise.'

The blonde had to fight back her tears when she heard that. It was so crystal clear, how much they cared about each other, Fiyero and Elphaba, how deep their love went. It was so obvious she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before – although back then, she hadn't _wanted _to see it. 'I'm so sorry,' she whispered, before she could help herself. Fiyero looked at her questioningly and she lowered her eyes. 'I should have known from the very start that you didn't love me,' she said, trying the best she could not to cry. 'And I guess I _did _know. I just wouldn't let myself see it.'

'Glinda,' Fiyero said earnestly. 'I know. I understand, I really do. It's all right.'

The blonde shook her head violently. 'No! I was so stupid back then! Everything was hard enough as it was, and then I came along with my stupid jealousy and made everything even worse!'

'Glinda.' The urgency in his voice made the blonde girl look at him. 'Don't blame yourself for anything that has happened,' Fiyero said, his voice making it clear that he would bear no contradiction. 'Whatever it is you might have done, Elphaba has forgiven you. I have forgiven you. Now it's time for you to forgive yourself.'

Glinda fell silent for a moment, and Fiyero added softly, 'there's nothing you could do about it anymore, anyway.'

That much was true, and the blonde decided to let it go. She would have time to feel guilty later. Right now, she just wanted to hear the rest of the story. 'All right then. Go on.'

'Well,' Fiyero said, with a slight smirk, 'the next part of the story you already know, considering you were the one who helped Dorothy and her travelling companions. And you heard about us melting Elphaba – or at least pretending to do so – afterwards.'

'Now hold on a clock-tick,' Glinda said with a puzzled frown. 'What do Dorothy and her travelling companions have to do with you? And what do you mean 'us' melting – oh!' She gasped when it suddenly dawned on her. '_You _were the Scarecrow?!'

'Don't blame yourself for not recognising me,' Fiyero told her with an only slightly amused smile. 'I did look quite different than I normally do.'

Glinda couldn't quite grasp this fact. 'So… you were here, in the Emerald City? All this time? All this time I thought you were dead, and you were right here?' She didn't sound upset at all, and she wasn't; she understood perfectly well why he had chosen not to tell her he was alive. Fiyero seemed to feel the need to apologise, however. 'I'm really sorry,' he said. 'I just… I thought it would be safer this way.'

'I know,' Glinda said. 'I understand. It's okay.' She looked at Elphaba, still unconscious in Fiyero's arms, and a worried look crossed her face before she shook her head. 'How did Elphie fake her own death?'

'Trapdoor,' was Fiyero's simple explanation. 'She hid underneath it when she pretended to melt and she remained hidden until I came to get her.' The look in his eyes became defeated when he added, 'or that was the plan.'

'What happened?' Glinda asked gently. Fiyero sighed. 'I'm not sure, but when I was on my way towards Kiamo Ko after Dorothy had gone home, I encountered a group of soldiers. I strongly suspect them to be responsible for this,' he gestured towards the wounded Elphaba, 'but I'm not sure who had sent them, or how whoever that was found out about it all being a hoax.'

Glinda shook her head. 'It certainly wasn't me.'

'Of course it wasn't you.' Fiyero paused, then added, 'But it might have been the Wizard, or Morrible. Or even someone else in the palace who suspected something.'

'I have no idea who it was,' Glinda said, 'but if it makes you feel any better: Morrible is in prison and the Wizard is busy preparing himself to leave Oz for good.'

'Good,' Fiyero replied sincerely. 'That's good to hear.' He yawned and quickly covered his mouth with his hand. 'Sorry. It's been a long day.'

'You should get some sleep, Fiyero,' Glinda gently chided him. 'I swear I'll look after her and I'll wake you up if anything happens, anything at all.'

Fiyero nodded reluctantly. 'Maybe you're right.' He hesitated for a moment. 'I just… I really don't want to leave her alone now…'

'Then stay right where you are,' Glinda stated simply. 'Just close your eyes and sleep – you can have my bed for tonight. I wasn't planning on sleeping, anyway.'

'Thank you, Glinda,' Fiyero said and she smiled. 'You're welcome.' Then she got up from the bed, took the Grimmerie and walked over to the sitting area in her room. 'I'm just going to go through this book again, see if anything else pops up that might help,' she said. 'Just call me if you need me.' Then she settled herself in one of the chairs, with the Grimmerie on her lap, and Fiyero closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

He woke up again when Elphaba started moving restlessly in her sleep. Glinda was already beside the bed, a worried look on her face. 'I don't know what's wrong,' she said to Fiyero. 'She just started…' Before she could finish her sentence, however, Elphaba suddenly gave a yelp of pain… and snapped awake.

When she became aware of her surroundings, both Glinda and Fiyero were looking at her with the most peculiar looks on their faces – something between worry, surprise, amazement and concern, if she interpreted the look the right way. When they kept on staring, she commented, softly and hoarsely, but with her usual amount of sarcasm, 'You two look like someone has _died_.'

Glinda let out a shriek at that comment, jumping on the bed and hugging her friend as if she was never going to let her go again. 'Elphie!' she shrieked and Elphaba made a face. 'Would you please stop destroying my eardrums?' the green girl asked.

'Sweet Oz, Elphie, I'm so glad you're back!' Glinda hugged her friend again, only to let go immediately when the green girl let out another yelp of pain. 'Sorry! Elphie, I'm sorry!'

'It's okay,' Elphaba managed to get out. 'Just… please don't do that again.'

Glinda backed down a bit and Elphaba, suddenly feeling weak and dizzy, closed her eyes for a moment and focused on her breathing. When she felt a bit better, she opened her eyes again. Fiyero was watching her and she managed a smile. 'You're back to normal…' she said, tracing a finger across his jaw.

He didn't say anything; he just pulled her close and held her tight, and she closed her eyes again and relaxed in his embrace. 'I'm sorry I scared you,' she whispered, and she felt rather than heard him sigh. 'When will you stop apologising for things that weren't at all your fault?'

She smiled again. 'You know the answer to that one.'

He sighed again. 'Yes, I do. It's probably 'never'.'

'You're learning,' she teased him. He pressed his lips against her hair. 'Are you all right, Fae?'

She blinked. 'I'm not sure. I feel… strange.' She fell silent for a moment. 'I was absolutely convinced that I was dying,' she said then, with a puzzled frown. 'I think I saw my mother, and Nessa… Was I dead?'

'Not exactly,' Fiyero told her, 'but you certainly came awfully close.' He pulled her even closer, an almost desperate gesture, and that more than anything made her understand how scared he had been to lose her. She rested her head against his shoulder and looked at Glinda. 'What happened?'

'The soldiers discoverated you at Kiamo Ko,' the blonde girl explained – the short version, since she decided the long one could wait until Elphaba felt better, 'and they nearly killed you, Elphie! Fiyero found you and he brought you here. I cast a spell from the Grimmerie to save you, and – oh Elphie, thank Oz it worked!' she suddenly blurted out. 'I didn't have the faintest idea what I was doing!'

Elphaba patted Glinda's hand, a faint smile curling up the corners of her mouth. 'I told you I had faith in you, Glinda. You just needed to have faith in yourself.'

The blonde looked as if she was about to burst into tears, but then Fiyero suggested, 'Maybe now that you're awake, we should try and find out to what extent the spell has healed you.' He was still worried about her – he wasn't sure one spell could heal everything that had been wrong with her.

'Let me see the spell,' Elphaba commanded, and Fiyero and Glinda smiled at each other – she was clearly getting back to normal, which reassured them somewhat. Glinda brought her friend the Grimmerie and the green girl studied the spell for a few clock-ticks. 'It's an average healing spell,' she finally concluded, looking up. 'Strong enough to have healed some of my injuries and therefore it was able to save my life, thank Oz, but it certainly isn't strong enough to have healed me completely.'

'Well,' decided Glinda, 'in that case, you'll stay here, with me, and Fiyero and I are going to nurse you back to health. Let someone take care of _you _for a change.'

Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, but Fiyero gently squeezed her hand. 'She's right, love.'

'I know,' the green girl grumbled. 'That's what annoys me so much.'

Glinda laughed and then looked at her friend rather critically. 'Elphie, would you like to wash up? I mean, you're all covered in blood, and…' She made a vague gesture. Elphaba merely nodded. 'That might be a good idea – also to be able to tell how bad my wounds still are.' She tried to prop herself up on her arms, but made a face when pain washed over her like a giant wave, stealing her breath for a moment. 'Okay… that's not going to work.'

Fiyero carefully put his arms around her and lifted her up to carry her to the bathroom. Glinda ordered a few maids to get some water, which she took from them in the hallway and then told them she didn't want to be disturbed again – that was the easiest way to keep Fiyero and Elphaba's presence in her rooms hidden. She quickly filled the bathtub and politely left when Fiyero started helping Elphaba to undress herself. 'Call me if you need anything!' the blonde girl called before closing the door behind her.

After all the blood had been cleansed from her body, Elphaba put on one of Glinda's nightgowns – a pink one, of course – and let Fiyero carry her back to bed. He went to lie next to her and she snuggled against him, allowing him to tuck her in with the blanket. 'Go to sleep now, Fae. You look exhausted and you need sleep to heal properly.'

For once, she decided not to argue. Instead she just closed her eyes and trusted on him to protect her while she slept.


	4. Secrets & Stubbornness

**AU: Thanks again for the reviews! You have no idea how much I appreciate them :).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.**

* * *

Glinda woke up in the most uncomfortable position she had ever found herself waking up in. It took her a moment to realise that she was sitting at her desk, with her cheek resting on a book that was _on _the desk. She now remembered what she had been doing when she had apparently fallen asleep – she had been reading a book about medical stuff, to see if there was anything in there that might help her help Elphaba. The book hadn't been particularly interesting, however, and so it came as no surprise to her that she had fallen asleep while reading it – it was certainly not the first time a book had bored her to… well, not to death, exactly. To sleep.

She tried to lift her face from the book, only to discoverate that the pages were sticking to her cheek. Grumbling, she peeled the pages off her skin and slowly tilted her head left and right. Her neck hurt – apparently, a book didn't serve too well as a pillow. She looked up to find Fiyero and Elphaba both still fast asleep in her bed, and decided to let them have their well-needed rest. She herself, however, would have to go get ready for the day; with all the celebrations still going on throughout Oz, she was required to make a public appearance every now and then, and today she had to give a speech to the inhabitants of the Emerald City.

Quietly, she got up, picked a beautiful, pale orange ball gown to wear, and snuck into the bathroom to wash up and get dressed. She was just about to write a note to inform Fiyero and Elphaba of where she was going and when she expected to be back, but by the time she left the bathroom, Fiyero had gotten up, too. He followed her towards the foyer, so they could talk without waking Elphaba. 'I have to go now,' Glinda explained quietly, 'but I'll make sure no one will discoverate you in here. I left some food in the kitchen in case you get hungry – my personal kitchen, of course, not the public one; I also left some kind of herb tea in there, for Elphaba. The book I was reading yesterday said something about those herbs easing pain, and I happened to have some of those in my kitchen, so…' She shrugged. 'I figured it couldn't hurt. I also intend to go talk to one of the palace doctors this afternoon – see if he could perhaps offer some helpful advice.' They were pretty sure now that Elphaba's condition was no longer life-threatening, but she had figured they still could use all the help they could get without exposing Fiyero and Elphaba to anyone.

'Thank you, Glinda,' Fiyero said and he squeezed her hand. 'For everything.'

She shrugged again. 'Don't be silly. You're my best friends – of course I'll help you.' She fell silent then, lost in thought, before she added, 'you just take good care of Elphaba while I'm gone.'

'I will,' he promised, and she knew he would. She waved at him and left her chambers then, telling the guards not to let anyone in, not even the sentries. They didn't think it to be an unusual request; Lady Glinda had asked them far stranger things before.

Fiyero picked up the book Glinda had been reading and quickly skimmed it. It proved to be quite a useful book, really, he thought; he found the herb Glinda had mentioned before, the one she had made tea of and that would ease Elphaba's pain, but he also found rather accurate instructions of how to treat broken bones, bruises, and other severe injuries. After helping her wash up yesterday, he had carefully examined Elphaba for injuries, and he had actually been quite shocked with what he had found. He was no medical expert, but he was fairly certain she had cracked a few ribs, and her headache and dizziness indicated a concussion – according to the book, that was. Her right ankle was broken and her whole body looked bruised; the left side of her face was purplish and swollen, as was, frankly, most of the rest of her body. She had assured him it was nothing, but he knew she was in pain – he could see it in her eyes, even though she would never admit it.

He heard a sound and quickly turned around to see Elphaba move and slowly open her eyes. He was at the bedside in an instant. 'Hi,' he said, smiling at her. 'How are you feeling?'

She blinked a few times, her eyes a bit blurry and unfocused, but then she lifted her gaze to rest on him and she, too, smiled. 'Fine, I guess.' She looked around and asked with a puzzled frown, 'Where's Glinda?'

'Off to fulfil her duties,' Fiyero declared. 'Don't worry, she said she'd make sure no one would be disturbing us. Are you hungry?'

Elphaba shook her head – a gesture she immediately regretted when a wave of dizziness washed over her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. When she opened them again, Fiyero was looking at her with concern in his eyes, and an irritable sigh escaped her lips. 'Please don't look at me like that.'

'I'm just worried about you!' he protested, and she looked up at him. 'I know. And I appreciate it. Just… don't.'

He came to lie next to her on the bed and carefully wrapped his arms around her. 'When it comes to you, I'll always be worried. You know that. Especially since you have this slightly irritable tendency to get into trouble every time I turn my back on you.'

'You know what I told you before,' she murmured, her eyes closed. 'I don't cause commotions…'

'You are one,' Fiyero finished for her, smiling fondly at the memory. 'I remember.'

'That still is the case, you know.'

'I know. And it's yet another thing I love about you,' he told her sincerely. 'If only your being a commotion wouldn't cause you to be in danger all the time, that would ease my nerves somewhat.'

She chuckled softly – another action that she immediately regretted, this time due to her cracked ribs. She hated this – she hated being in pain, not being able to do anything. She hated being _weak._

'You're not weak,' Fiyero whispered in her ear, somehow reading her mind as he sometimes did. 'You're badly injured. You nearly died, Elphaba. Please give yourself a break. Just let Glinda and me take care of you for a while.'

'You say that as if I have a choice,' she grumbled, and Fiyero laughed softly. 'You're right – you don't. We'll take care of you, even if that means we have to chain you to this bed.' He gently kissed her forehead, then sat up. 'If you don't want to eat, I'm at least going to get you something to drink.'

She nodded, her eyes still closed, and he went over to the kitchen to fetch the tea Glinda had told him about. He decided not to tell Elphaba what kind of tea it was – he knew she wouldn't want them trying to ease her pain, if only because she would wanted to prove to them that she could handle the pain. And although he knew she could, he'd rather want her not to have to.

He helped her sit up and handed her a cup of tea, which she obediently finished within a few minutes. He put the cup on the bedside table and helped her lie down again, with her back towards him, so that he could lie next to her and carefully slide an arm around her waist. 'You can go to sleep, if you want to,' he whispered in her ear. 'You need it.'

'This is definitely _not _how I had imagined the first days of our new life together,' she grunted, causing him to smile. 'Well, _I _don't mind,' he said truthfully. 'As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are or what we're doing.' He paused for a clock-tick, then added quietly, 'And you have absolutely no idea how immensely happy and relieved I am that you are still alive.'

She squeezed his hand in response. 'Well, you know me,' she said with a rather sarcastic little snort. 'I'm very hard to kill.'

'That much, at least, is true,' admitted Fiyero, pulling her closer. She cuddled against him, closing her eyes and drinking in the sensation of having him so close. 'Please don't ever leave me again,' she whispered softly. He kissed her hair, then brushed his lips against her cheek and whispered in her ear, 'Never. I promise. But only if you promise me the same thing.'

'I do,' she said, sighing softly with happiness. He kissed her softly, on the lips this time, and she let herself marvel in the sensation for a moment. She knew in her heart that they could never really promise what they had just promised each other. She knew it was a promise they were probably not going to keep. Still, it made her feel better.

And none of it really mattered, anyway. Because here they were, together, and he loved her, and everything was perfect. _Just for this moment_, she thought, smiling faintly. _As long as he's mine._

* * *

'Lady Glinda?'

She turned around, her dress rustling with her every move, to face the sentry standing behind her. 'Yes?'

'There's someone here to see you. A man. I asked him for the reason of his visit and he said something about his balloon finally being ready?' She heard the question in his voice, but pretended not to. 'I know who he is. Let him in,' she ordered instead. The sentry nodded and disappeared.

Glinda sighed a bit irritably, smoothing the skirt of her gown. The Wizard had had some problems with his balloon, so he had remained in Oz for the past few days. Thank Oz that stupid balloon was finally ready. She couldn't wait to never see his face ever again.

Then a thought struck her. She hadn't thought she would ever be able to tell Elphie what she now knew – that the not so Wonderful Wizard of Oz was the green girl's father. But now Elphie was alive. The Wizard hadn't left yet. Shouldn't she at least _tell _her friend about all that before the Wizard left?

On the other hand, Elphaba was still injured. Excitement wouldn't be good for her in her condition. But she couldn't let the Wizard leave without telling Elphaba… could she?

She tried to shake the thoughts from her head as the Wizard entered Glinda's personal study. 'Why, your Ozness,' she remarked, rather sarcastically – she started to think she had spent too much time with Elphaba. 'How honoured I am to have you visit me today! How can I be of service to you?'

The Wizard flinched a bit, but didn't say anything. 'I just came to tell you my balloon is ready,' he told her quietly. 'I will be leaving Oz within a few hours.'

Glinda sighed, knowing this was something she had to do, but not liking it at all. 'However much I would love for you to leave as soon as possible, there's something I have to take care of before I can allow you to depart,' she told him sternly. 'So please just go back to your room until I come to fetch you.'

Surprise showed in his eyes, but he merely replied, 'Yes, your Goodness,' bowing awkwardly and leaving the room. Glinda went over to the table to take a look at her schedule for the rest of the day and was pleased to find it empty – she had fulfilled her duties for the day. That meant she had the rest of the afternoon and the evening to spend any way she pleased, although she didn't really want to do anything but make her way back to her rooms and sit with Elphaba and Fiyero for the rest of the day.

She wished she didn't have to tell Elphie about her discovery, but she knew she had to. This was far too important – she couldn't keep something this big from her best friend. She was just a bit worried about what Elphaba's reaction would be.

While walking through the hallways of the palace, she tried to think of the best way to break the news to her friend. _Elphie, there´s something I need to tell you… something you're not going to like._ No, she had to come up with something better. Elphie hated it when she didn't come straight to the point. _Hey Elphie, you know the man who destroyed your whole life? Yeah, he's your father._

She sighed. Maybe this wasn't a good idea at all. Maybe she had to wait until Elphaba had gotten a bit better. Maybe…

_Maybe she should just accept this as something that had to be done and stop worrying about it._

By the time she had come to that conclusion, she had reached the doors that lead to her chambers, and she greeted the guards with a slight nod of her head before entering. She carefully closed the door behind her and went straight towards the bedroom, abruptly coming to a halt when she saw that Elphaba was out of bed.

'_What _are you doing?' the blonde demanded sharply. Elphaba, who was carefully hopping around the room, now balanced herself on her left foot and looked up. 'Oh. Hi, Glinda.'

'What do you mean 'hi, Glinda'?!' the blonde squealed. 'You're not supposed to be up!' She threw her wand in a corner and hurried over to Elphaba, who dismissed her with an irritable hand gesture. 'Well, I _am _up, and I'm fine. Stop being overprotective.'

'Where's Fiyero?' Glinda demanded. Surely he wouldn't have let Elphaba out of bed if he had been around!

'In the kitchen,' Elphaba replied, trying to put some weight on her right foot but wincing when a sharp, fiery pain shot up her ankle. 'He was hungry, so I told him to go get himself some food – that I could manage on my own for a few minutes.'

'Which you clearly can't,' snapped Glinda, trying to get her friend back to the bed. The green girl didn't budge, however, and Glinda glared at her. 'You are so very _annoying_.'

'Why, thank you,' said Elphaba mockingly, limping towards the window and steadying herself with one hand against the window cill. She didn't feel that well at all, to be quite honest, but she would never admit that to Glinda – or to anyone, really. She suppressed the dizziness and fatigue that threatened to overwhelm her and carefully sat herself down in one of the chairs next to the window.

Glinda stamped her foot, the way she used to back at Shiz when she didn't get her way. She knew it was a childish thing to do, but she didn't care. 'Elphaba! Get back to that bed right now!'

At that point, Fiyero, alarmed by Glinda's shrieks, rushed into the room. 'Glinda? Is everything all ri- Elphaba! You're not supposed to be up!' he interrupted himself, clearly shocked. Elphaba merely smirked. 'Hi, love. Did you find anything to eat?'

He stared at her; then he shot a look at Glinda. 'She won't listen to me!' the blonde girl said, defending herself. 'Not that she ever does, but…' She made a helpless gesture and Fiyero nodded. 'I know,' he grumbled. He looked at Elphaba threateningly. 'Do you remember what I said to you before about chaining you to the bed…?'

The fact that half of her face was bruised and swollen was the only thing that kept her from pulling a face at him. She settled for an irritable sigh. 'I'm _fine_,' she repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. Before she could say anything else, however, Fiyero had already scooped her up and set her back on the bed, gently urging her to lie down. 'You're feeling warm,' he observed with a worried frown. Elphaba merely rolled her eyes. 'How does that surprise you? You've been smothering me with blankets!'

He nodded, but the concerned look did not leave his eyes. 'Here, have some water,' he urged, handing her a cup. She drank obediently and didn't protest when he told her to close her eyes and sleep. 'You need your rest, Fae,' he said, gently stroking her hair out of her face. 'Please. Just let us take care of you for a while.'

She didn't say anything, but she did close her eyes and a few minutes later, she was fast asleep. Fiyero carefully got up and went over to Glinda. 'How did your speech go?' he asked and she looked at him, genuinely impressed by his ability to care about other's small, unimportant problems, while he had so much heavier things on his mind. 'Quite well, thank you,' she replied. She looked at her sleeping friend, then at Fiyero, uncertain if this was the right time to share her secret about the Wizard. But then again, she decided, it would probably never be a good time, and if she told Fiyero first, maybe he could help her find the right way to break the news to Elphaba.

She took a deep breath. 'Fiyero? I… I have to tell you something.'

* * *

**Please keep on reviewing, however short - even if you only say 'boo', at least I'll know you're reading it :3.**


	5. Keep Holding On

**AN: So, here's the next chapter!**

**- ComingAndGoingByBubble & Guest: Yeah. I knew _someone_ was going to do that, but it still made me laugh :).**

**- Wicked4Life (a.k.a. my Wicked Witch ^^): Aw, that's so sweet! Thank you so much! **

**But then again - you're all very sweet and I want to thank you all very much. Your reviews are what keep me going!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

'Are you absolutely sure?' asked Fiyero for what must have been the sixth or seventh time. Glinda nodded, watching patiently as he slowly processed what he had just heard. He started pacing, then stopped and stared at the blonde girl. 'How is that possible?'

Glinda shook her head. 'I'm not sure. But it does make sense. It even explains why she…' She made a vague gesture. 'You know. Why she is green. It must have been caused by that strange green liquid inside those bottles…'

'Are you planning on telling her?'

'Of course!' Glinda looked at him as if he was crazy. 'She deserves to know the truth – I could never keep anything like this from her!'

'I know. It's just…' Fiyero sighed. 'I mean, it doesn't really matter anymore now, does it? It's not like they're going to do some father-daughter bonding – not to mention the fact that that isn't even possible anymore, considering the fact that the Wizard is no longer with us in Oz.'

Glinda looked a bit guilty. 'Well… uhm…' She fumbled with the fabric of her skirt. 'He might… still be here.'

Fiyero stared at her in utter surprise. 'I thought you said he was preparing to leave Oz!'

'He was,' she defended herself. 'Only… well, there were some problems. He came to me this afternoon to tell me he was ready to leave, but I told him to wait. Because of… well, this.' She gestured towards Elphaba. 'I didn't want him to leave without her knowing the truth. She should decide for herself what she wants to do – perhaps she would want to talk to him about it, or…' Her voice trailed away. Glinda knew as well as Fiyero did that Elphaba wouldn't want to see the Wizard ever again, father or no father. 'Still,' she insisted. 'She should have the chance to make the decision herself, Fiyero.'

He sighed and nodded. 'You're right. Okay. So… how were you planning on telling her?'

'I don't know, really,' she admitted. 'I tried to think of various ways, but… well, none of them seemed to be the _right_ way.'

'I don't think there is a _right_ way when it comes to this,' Fiyero told her. 'Just wait until she wakes up and tell her. She'll be shocked, that's for sure, but she'll appreciate your honesty.'

Glinda nodded and wanted to say something, but then Elphaba let out a soft moan and Fiyero rushed over towards the bed. 'Glinda,' he said urgently. 'Feel her forehead.'

The blonde came closer and gently laid a hand on her friend's forehead. She gasped when she felt the heat radiating off the green girl's body and Fiyero nodded grimly. 'She's got a fever.'

'Do you think one of her wounds has become septic?' Glinda asked quietly and Fiyero nodded again. 'That would be the most logical explanation.'

'So she needs a doctor, then.' It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. 'Where are we going to find a doctor that will treat her without running out into the city screaming that the Wicked Witch is still alive?'

Fiyero started to shake his head, as miserable expression on his face, when his eyes suddenly lit up. 'Of course! The Resistance!'

'The Resistance,' Glinda repeated, sceptically. 'Why, of course. And how do you suggest we find a doctor who works for the Resistance?'

'I'm not sure,' Fiyero admitted. 'It was the only idea I could come up with.'

Glinda sighed. 'Well, it's not like I've got a better idea. It's just…'

Suddenly, Fiyero's eyes widened. 'Wait a clock-tick. I _do _know a doctor who works for the Resistance!'

Glinda shot him a sceptical look. 'You do?'

'Yes!' He jumped up and started pacing around the room. 'Elphaba mentioned him some time ago. I don't remember why she brought it up, but I _do _remember his name. Or, well… apparently it's not his real name, but it's the name he usually goes by. Quork, that was it. Doctor Quork.'

This time, it were Glinda's eyes that widened in surprise – she hadn't expected to hear a familiar name. 'Quork?' she repeated incredulously – it seemed their luck was finally turning. 'Doctor Quork is one of the doctors who work here, at the palace!'

Fiyero could hardly believe his ears – could they be this lucky? 'Are you sure?'

'Absolutely,' she said, brightening now that they had an executable plan. 'I'll go fetch him right away!'

At that moment, Elphaba started to toss and turn in the bed, her breathing was irregular and came in short gasps. Fiyero quickly wetted a piece of cloth and gently placed it on Elphaba's forehead. Her eyelids fluttered open, eyes unfocused, reminding him of how she had looked when he had found her at Kiamo Ko, nearly dead. 'Fiyero?' she murmured and he took her hand and squeezed it softly. 'I'm right here.'

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes cloudy. 'You're all pink,' she told him, clearly not realizing what she was saying wasn't making any sense. It took Fiyero every inch of strength in his body not to cry. 'You're burning up,' he told her softly, but she didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes closed again, she turned her back towards Fiyero and she scowled. 'Galinda, stop whining!' she protested in an annoyed tone of voice, without so much as opening her eyes. 'I'm not going to buy you a rat for your birthday!'

Glinda would have giggled if the situation hadn't been so alarming – Elphaba was clearly being delirious. Fiyero looked at her worriedly. 'You'd better go find that doctor,' he suggested, and she nodded and got up. 'I'm on my way.'

* * *

Fiyero was worried sick. When she had been stubborn enough to get up, however irritating that had been, he at least knew she was getting better. Now, she almost seemed worse than when he first found her. He had tried to wake her up a few times, but to no avail; at the moment, she wasn't so much asleep as she was unconscious. Occasionally, she would whimper or even scream, and he would be hovering over her within a clock-tick, but she never opened her eyes. A thin layer of sweat covered her skin and she was tossing and turning endlessly, which also worried him because she might hurt herself doing so, since her injuries were still far from healed.

Glinda was back within minutes, with Doctor Quork trudging along behind her, but to Fiyero, it felt like she had been gone for much longer. The doctor's eyes widened as he saw Elphaba lying on the bed. 'Sweet Oz, it's true! She is still alive!' He looked like he was about to clap his hands with excitement. 'Master Gold will be exhilarated when I tell him this!'

'Who?' Glinda softly asked Fiyero with a puzzled frown.

'The leader of the Resistance,' Fiyero told her just as quietly. 'Elphaba spoke of him once.'

'The leader, huh?' Glinda shook her head. 'I didn't know she was of such importance to the Resistance. I mean,' she hurried to explain herself as soon as she realised that didn't really come out the way she intended it to, 'I knew she did important things, but I didn't know her to be acquainted with the _leader_.'

Fiyero nodded, watching Doctor Quork as he made his way over to the bed and carefully started examining Elphaba. 'Elphaba was always being modest about it,' Fiyero said, not taking his eyes off the green girl, 'but from what she has told me about the Resistance, she indeed seemed to be quite important to them.'

'Important?' the doctor, who had overheard their conversation, repeated, looking up. 'It's more than that, my boy! I think I can quite honestly state that without Miss Elphaba, thousands of Animals would have been killed and the Resistance would probably have died, too, years ago, if it hadn't been for her. She's a member of the Inner Circle and even though Master Gold officially outranks her within the Resistance, he considers her his equal and treats her as such.' He pulled a stethoscope from his bag and listened intently to Elphaba's heartbeat and breathing for a while. Then, he placed the stethoscope on the bedside table and grabbed some other things from his bag, continuing to examine the green girl. 'This isn't good,' Fiyero and Glinda heard him mutter under his breath. 'This isn't good at all.'

The blonde shot a worried look at Fiyero and however much he wanted to reassure her, he just couldn't. 'Doctor?' Glinda asked softly after a while. Doctor Quork looked up, slightly disturbed. 'Yes?'

'Can you…' Glinda swallowed before being able to finish her question. 'Can you help her?'

The doctor thoughtfully chewed his lip. 'I can certainly try,' he finally said, evading the question, which didn't make Glinda or Fiyero feel any better at all. The older man looked at them both. 'Young man,' he addressed Fiyero, 'could you please go boil me some water? And you, young lady,' he turned to Glinda without awaiting Fiyero's response, 'I need some towels and several pieces of cloth.'

Both of them were on their feet instantly, while the doctor once again tended to Elphaba.

He took the water from Fiyero and the towels and cloth from Glinda, and without a word, he started to undress Elphaba so he could take care of her wounds. Glinda took Fiyero to the foyer and tried to distract him, but she could tell by the way his eyes kept darting towards the door that he couldn't take his mind off Elphaba. She couldn't blame him, either – it wasn't as if she herself could really think of anything else at the moment. She wondered what took Doctor Quork so long and how everything was going. _What if Elphie is going to die?_ The thought made her feel somewhat desperate. She slumped into a chair, buried her face in her hands and started weeping.

It wasn't long before Fiyero gently put his hand on one of her shaking shoulders. 'Don't cry, Glinda,' he said quietly. 'She'll be okay.'

'How do you know?' she wailed. She felt, rather than saw, him shake his head. 'I don't. But we have to believe it anyway.'

Something about the tone of his voice caused her to stop crying and she looked up at him with red, puffy eyes. Before she could say anything, however, Doctor Quork came into the foyer and Glinda jumped up. 'Is she…'

'She's sleeping,' the older man reassured her. 'I tended to her wounds and I gave her something to help her relax and ease the pain. There's no telling which way it will go from now, though,' he warned. 'She might still… get worse.' Glinda knew that wasn't what he had been about to say, but she kept silent. 'She might get better, too,' the doctor added, 'but that might take time. Lots and lots of time.'

'I have time,' Fiyero said stiffly, but Glinda looked at Doctor Quork vigilantly and she squinted at him. 'What are you suggesting?'

He looked somewhat surprised at this question, but didn't deny the fact there had been a suggestion behind his words. 'I'd much rather take her west,' he finally said, 'to the Great Kells. The Resistance has a hideout there. It's not safe for her to stay here – someone's bound to find out sooner or later.'

Glinda nodded slowly, but Fiyero scowled. 'Tell me,' he said sarcastically, 'does she look to you like she's able to travel all the way into the Great Kells?'

'Of course not.' The doctor almost looked offended by Fiyero's remark. 'Not yet, anyway. But I wouldn't want to wait too long, if I were you. You can imagine the consequences when someone finds out the Wicked Witch of the West is staying in the chambers of Glinda the Good.'

He had a point there, of course, and Glinda knew that Fiyero knew it, too. 'Wait a minute,' the prince then said pointedly. 'Why are you telling us all this? You've just exposed one of your secret hideouts to two complete strangers – that doesn't sound like something a member of the Resistance would do to me!'

'Fiyero!' Glinda chided him, an expression of shock on her face because of his rudeness. But at the same time, she realised, he had a point. And so she, too, looked at Doctor Quork and waited for him to explain himself.

The man looked genuinely surprised. 'Well, you're Glinda and Fiyero, right?' he said, as if that ought to explain everything – which, of course, it didn't. Upon seeing the blank expressions on their faces, the doctor clarified, 'I know I can trust you with our secrets, children. I know Elphaba does. And if she thinks she can trust you, so do I.' It was a simple explanation, but it was the truth, and Glinda knew it. She smiled – a bit bleakly, but a smile nonetheless. 'Thank you, doctor. For everything.'

He nodded and then returned her smile, making him look much friendlier all of a sudden. 'Of course, child, of course. Now, you take good care of Elphaba,' he told them. 'I left some instructions on the bedside table. I'll come by to check up on her tomorrow around noon.' He took off his hat and inclined his head; then he left.

Glinda and Fiyero looked at each other for a clock-tick before running off to the bedroom, where Elphaba was still asleep. Fiyero carefully placed his hand on her forehead. She was still glowing, but at least she seemed more at peace now. He took her hand and just sat there for a moment, at the edge of the bed, looking down at her face, lost in thought.

Glinda, in the meantime, had picked up the instructions Doctor Quork had left on the bedside table and was reading them, frowning with concentration, since she first had to decipher his obnoxious handwriting. 'It says something about an ointment for her infected wounds… is it possible that honey has something to do with that? I mean, it looks like it says 'honey', but I've never seen this bad a handwriting, so I'm not quite sure.'

Fiyero nodded absent-mindedly. 'Honey is a natural way to help treat infection.'

'All right then.' Glinda had never heard of such a thing, but she chose to just believe him and read on. 'He's bandaged her wounds with pieces of cloth. Tomorrow morning, we have to remove the cloth, treat the wounds with the ointment and then bandage them again with clean pieces of cloth. That's something we can do, right?' she rattled on. She just wanted to do _something_ – just sitting here waiting for her friend to either wake up or die was like torture to her. Fiyero, however, didn't really seem to hear her. When she realised that, she said softly, 'You should get some sleep.'

He shook his head. 'I won't leave her.'

'I told you before, you don't have to. You can sleep next to her in my bed.'

He shook his head once more. 'Still. I'm not going to sleep.'

Glinda let out an irritable sigh. 'Seems like she's not the only one being stubborn. She's starting to rub off on you.'

He smiled slightly at that. 'Yes she is,' he admitted softly, his mind someplace else again. Glinda hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly, 'Would you mind if I did go to sleep? I don't want to leave her, either, but I'm really tired and it's going to be a busy day again tomorrow. And I know you'd be there if something was to happen…'

'Of course it's all right for you to go to sleep,' Fiyero replied gently. 'Go on. I'll wake you if anything changes.'

She looked relieved. 'Thank you.' Then she left the room.

Fiyero got up and started pacing. Questions and what-ifs were haunting him non-stop. What if she would get worse? What if she would never wake up again? What if she would…

Was there anything he could do to help her? Anything at all?

Finally, he set himself in a chair, burying his face in his hands. How he wished she was here right now – not just physically, but completely. She would scold him for being stupid, but smiling all the same. She would tell him she loved him and he was not to worry about her, that she could take care of herself. She would roll her eyes at him if he told her how scared he was of the thought of her dying, and she would tell him he would survive without her, he would just have to get on with his life. But that was exactly the point, he realised, dropping his hand. He wasn't sure if he would be able to live without her. He had, of course, lived without her for years, but that was different. Losing her now would mean losing his heart and soul, losing himself. Without her, he wouldn't have a reason to live anymore, because she was his life.

He shook his head, banning the thoughts from his mind. There was no use in mulling over things that hadn't happened yet – there would be plenty of time to worry when there would actually be a reason to.

* * *

Doctor Quork came by frequently the following days, taking Elphaba's temperature and checking on her wounds and her condition, but although he claimed her to be recovering, if slowly, she still didn't wake up. Glinda was being amazing, helping Fiyero take care of her friend and keeping him – and her – company whenever she could. She had to fulfil her duties, though, or people might get suspicious, and so Fiyero was often left alone with Elphaba. He would talk to her, even though he wasn't sure if she could hear him. Sometimes he read her a book Glinda had brought them from the palace library. A few times, he even sang for her. But she didn't wake up. She never woke up.

'Is that normal?' Fiyero asked anxiously one day, when Doctor Quork was with them again. The doctor shook his head. 'I'm not sure. Does she respond at all?'

'She talks, sometimes,' Fiyero said, frowning. 'But either what she says is unintelligible or not making any sense. I'm just… I'm just so scared that she might never…' He let his voice trail away, unable to speak the words. Doctor Quork patted him a bit awkwardly on the shoulder. 'There, there. Try not to worry too much, young man.' He looked thoughtful. 'I do know someone who has a better chance of helping her than I do,' he then confessed. 'Another doctor within the Resistance. But…'

'Let me guess,' Fiyero interrupted. 'He lives in the Great Kells.'

The doctor nodded. 'He's an Animal doctor. I would never be able to bring him to her. But we might be able to bring her to him.'

'No,' Fiyero said flatly. 'I'm not taking that risk. She's hurt enough already.'

'It might be her only chance,' the doctor said softly, and Fiyero thought about it for a moment longer. Would it be a sensible thing to do? Travelling didn't seem sensible, not in her condition, but what if that Animal doctor was her only chance at surviving?'

At that exact moment, Glinda burst through the doors, a worried look on her face. 'How is she?'

'The same,' Fiyero told her, and Doctor Quork added, 'We were just discussing whether we should take her to the Great Kells or leave her here. There's an Animal doctor in the Kells that knows more about this sort of thing than I do.'

'Then take her,' Glinda said immediately. She caught the look Fiyero shot her and explained, 'People are starting to get suspicious. I try to act as normal as possible, but the sentries are starting to wonder why they can't allow _anyone _in my rooms anymore except for myself and Doctor Quork – not to mention the fact that everyone is wondering why I'm spending so much more time in my chambers.' She didn't say the man who had been wondering that had been the Wizard, whom she had talked to earlier that day. If even _he _had heard about her strange behaviour, it wouldn't be long before other people would start to get suspicious, too. 'However much I hate to say this, Fiyero, Doctor Quork is right. It might be dangerous, but it would be safer to get her out of here. You and I both know what would happen if anyone discoverated her.' And they did, of course. They both knew Elphaba would never survive _that._

Fiyero then sighed, finally giving in. 'All right, all right. You are both right.' He sighed again, concern in his eyes. 'The Great Kells it is.'

Glinda nodded enthusiastically. 'Perfect! I'll make sure a carriage will be ready in the morning!'


	6. I Believe I Can Fly

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

The not-so-Wonderful Wizard of Oz looked up when he heard footsteps coming his way. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, head in his hands, thinking.

He still couldn't believe what he had so recently found out. He regretted every single thing he had said to her, now that he knew who she really was. His daughter. He had had a daughter. And he had been the most horrible father there had ever been – what kind of father ruined his daughter's life? What kind of father _murdered _his own daughter?

The footsteps stopped in front of his door and there was the sound of a key turning in the lock – he had locked the door from the inside, but there was someone else who had a key, too. Moments later, Glinda the Good stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. He looked up, but not all the way to her face; his gaze lingered about the height of her waist. 'Lady Glinda.'

'Your Ozness.' Her voice was cold as she came to stand across from him. 'I don't have much time to waste, so let me just cut straight to the chase.' Now he did look her in the eye. Her gaze was serious. 'I just got back from a press conference,' she said. 'I had to announce my leaving to the people of Oz.'

He was surprised by that comment. 'You're leaving?'

She nodded. 'There's some business I need to take care of in the west.' She didn't say where in the west, exactly, but he hadn't expected her to – her business was none of his anymore. He blinked. 'So… you're leaving. Does that mean I am, too?' She wasn't planning on leaving him here, was she? Stuck in this palace for many more months?

Glinda nodded again. 'It does, but not where you think you're going.' He lifted his eyebrows. 'I'm not going back home?'

She shook her head. 'You're coming with me.'

'What?'

'You heard me.' She looked at him with a stern expression in her blue eyes. 'You're coming with me. I can't let you leave just yet – I still need you for something. And I won't be leaving you back here. So, you're going with me. No discussion. I've arranged for an extra carriage – a prisoner's carriage, so you won't get any ideas about escaping while we're on our way.' She made a vague hand gesture and turned around to walk back towards the door. 'Better start packing.'

* * *

Elphaba was flying.

She was high above the clouds, soaring, flying, as if she had never done anything else in her life. She didn't seem to be needing her broom to do it, either; she didn't have it with her and she was still flying. It was an amazing feeling, the feeling of being free, and she closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them again, she was at a party, and everyone was staring and laughing at her. She recognised the scene as the night she had befriended Galinda – the party at the Ozdust Ballroom. Galinda walked up to her and started dancing with her, and soon, everyone else was dancing again, too – just as it had been when this had really happened, years ago at Shiz. For some reason, it didn't surprise her in the least that she seemed to be in the middle of a memory.

The scene changed again and now she was in her old room at Shiz, with Galinda bouncing up and down on the bed. 'Really? Your very first party _ever_?'

'Do funerals count?' Elphaba asked. She didn't know why she was reliving her memories, but she didn't mind. It felt good and familiar. Everything had been so much simpler back then.

'Let's tell each other something we have never told anyone – I'll go first!' Galinda jumped next to the green girl on the bed and took a deep breath. 'Fiyero and I are going to be MARRIED!' she squealed.

Elphaba stared at her. 'He's asked you already?'

'Oh, he doesn't know yet!' Galinda said, which made Elphaba laugh.

The scene shifted a bit and a clock-tick later, Galinda was fiddling with her hair, singing a song all the while, before handing the green girl a mirror. 'Elphaba, look at you,' she said in a tone that made clear she herself was amazed. 'You're beautiful!'

The next moment she knew, she was running, although at first she had no idea where she was going. She only realised which memory this was when she saw Fiyero run in front of her, carrying a cage. _The day we rescued the Lion cub. The day I fell in love with him._

'Don't shake him!' Elphaba yelled and Fiyero shot her an annoyed look. 'I'm not!'

'And we can't just let him loose anywhere,' she continued. 'We'll have to find someplace safe!'

'I realise that!' He stopped and turned around to face her. 'You think I'm really stupid, don't you?'

'No!' she protested, but she couldn't help but add, smirking just a bit, 'not _really _stupid.'

'Why is it that every time I see you, you're causing some sort of commotion?' Fiyero asked and she shook her head. 'I don't cause commotions. I am one.'

'That's for sure,' he muttered, but she heard him anyway. 'Oh, so you think I should just keep my mouth shut, is that it?'

'No, I-'

'Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much?'

'All I'm saying is-'

'Don't you think I know how much easier my life would be if I didn't?' she went on, until he shouted, 'Hey!'

She blinked at him.

'Do you _ever _let anyone else talk?' he asked. She flushed a bit. 'Oh. I'm sorry.'

He opened his mouth to say something, but she was faster. 'But can I just say one more thing?'

He looked a bit annoyed, but didn't say anything, so she continued, 'You could have walked away, back there.' Saying that, hearing herself say that in the memory, made her realise it hadn't been just then. He could have walked away from her so many times since they'd been together, and she was sure most people _would _have walked away. He, however, never had. He must really, _truly _love her…

'You're having delusions of grandeur!' someone shouted, and she was standing in the attic of the palace, broomstick in her hand. She looked over at her blonde friend, standing not too far away, and said, 'Come with me!'

Glinda nearly choked. 'What?'

'We could be the greatest team there's ever been! Come with me, Glinda!'

The blonde girl hesitated and for a moment, Elphaba actually thought she was going to say yes. But then she opened her mouth and said slowly, 'I hope you'll be happy, now that you're choosing this.'

'You, too,' Elphaba said softly and they hugged. Then the soldiers burst through the doors and Elphaba readied her flying broomstick. 'It's not her you want!' she called at them when they seized Glinda. 'It's me!' She rose, flying, and looked once more at her best friend, before turning her gaze towards the soldiers. 'Tell them,' she said, softly, but clearly audible, 'how I am defying gravity. I'll be flying high!' And with those words, she flew off, out of the window, towards the western sky. The day she had freed herself had also been the day that marked the beginning of her ending – or at least, the ending of her old life.

Suddenly, she was in a network of caves, and Master Gold was smiling at her. 'Thank you so much, Elphaba. You've saved them.'

She looked around at the Animals in the caves. She immediately recognised the ones she had saved back then; all sorts of Animals, Bears, Cats, Wolves, Goats. They still looked underfed and some of them were wounded, but there was an expression of utter relief on their faces as the other Animals, the ones that had lived here for some time now, welcomed them and took them away to take care of them.

'It's not enough, though,' Elphaba said sadly, turning back towards Master Gold. 'It will never be enough.'

Then she was in the Throne Room at the palace, looking after the flying Monkeys as they fled. She discovered Doctor Dillamond and told the Wizard that she would never work with him, that she would fight him until the day she died. He then called the guards… and that was the first time in years she saw Fiyero again.

Upon seeing him and reliving the scene, she remembered how incredibly hurt and desperate she had felt when she thought he had changed. When he ordered his men to go fetch him some water, she had wanted to lay down and die, right there and then. Until he dragged the Wizard from his hiding place and pointed his gun at _him_, that was. 'Elphaba, I'll find Doctor Dillamond later, now get out of here!'

'Fiyero, you frightened me,' she said softly, relief washing over her. 'I thought… I thought you might have changed.'

He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. 'I have… changed.'

Then Glinda came in and the scene seemed to be skipping a few clock-ticks, because the next thing she knew, Fiyero was looking from Glinda to her before stating, 'I'm going with her.'

'What?' Glinda exclaimed, shocked.

'What?' Elphaba repeated, dumbstruck. She felt as if she was about to faint – something she would never really do, of course, but at that moment, she came awfully close. That might just have been the most surreal moment in her entire life, she thought, before finding herself in a forest a few hours later, in Fiyero's arms for the very first time. 'I just wish I could be beautiful, for you,' she said softly, and he looked at her as if he was about to say something. 'And don't say that I am,' she said quickly, lowering her eyes. 'You don't have to lie to me.'

He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head a little to force her to look him in the eye. 'It's not lying,' he said convincingly. 'It's looking at things another way.'

Other memories came and went in a blur – Nessa's death, Fiyero's torture, discovering Fiyero to still be alive, saying goodbye to Glinda, and finally, how she had pretended to melt, causing everyone in Oz to believe she had died. After that memory, everything went pitch dark for a few clock-ticks, and then everything was a bright shade of white that almost, but not quite, hurt her eyes, and she was soaring again. _Is this dying?_ she wondered, a bit absent-mindedly. _Reliving your best and worst memories, and then fly off towards… what? Heaven? _She didn't really believe that, but she wasn't quite sure what else to believe, either. _Maybe I'm not even dying. Maybe I'm just dreaming…_

The feeling of a cool hand on her forehead jerked her back to reality. Everything went dark again, but this time, she wasn't flying anymore - she was falling. And then she suddenly stopped falling, without actually hitting ground, and she was hearing voices.

'She's gotten worse.' That was Fiyero, she could tell with absolute certainty. He sounded extremely worried and a bit angry. 'I told you it was a bad idea to move her!'

'You agreed that we had to do it!' Glinda protested – was Glinda here too? What was she doing here? 'It was our only option, Fiyero, you know that!'

'I know.' She felt rather than heard him sigh and it was only then she realised that she was lying down with her head in his lap and that he was holding her. She felt him stroke her hair and she tried to move, but her body wouldn't work with her.

'I just…' Fiyero sighed again. 'I wish she would just wake up.' His voice was quiet, defeated, and she desperately wanted to hold him and assure him that she was all right – even though she wasn't quite sure if she actually _was _all right. She still wasn't able to move, however, and so she had to settle for listening to their conversation.

'Could you hand me another blanket?' Fiyero asked. 'She's shivering.' She hadn't even noticed that herself, but now that he mentioned it, she found that she was indeed shivering. She was feeling hot and cold at the same time – was that even possible? She tried to wake up, open her eyes, but once again she failed. Slowly, she started remembering what had happened so far – the last thing she remembered was falling asleep after she had tried to walk around the room. But what had happened after that? Why were they moving her? Where were they taking her?

She felt how Fiyero wrapped a blanket around her and she collected all of her willpower to try and say his name. 'Yero?' She was slurring, so it came out a bit unclear, but the effect was immediate. She still couldn't open her eyes, but she felt Fiyero hover over her, and she heard Glinda hold her breath. 'Is she awake?'

_Yes! s_he wanted to scream, but she couldn't. Her body felt as if it wasn't hers, awkward and heavy.

'Fae?' Fiyero's voice was gentle, but urgent. 'Are you awake?'

Finally, she managed to half-open her eyes and the sight of his sapphire eyes fixed on hers would have made her smile if she had been able to smile, which she wasn't. 'I'm awake,' she muttered, still barely audible, but apparently audible enough, because Glinda let out an enthusiastic shriek and Fiyero held her a bit tighter. 'Are you sure?'

She nodded, which made her feel dizzy, and she closed her eyes again. 'I'm so tired…'

'Go to sleep, then,' Fiyero told her gently. 'I'll still be here when you wake up.'

She relaxed and drifted off to sleep, this time without any memories haunting her.

* * *

Fiyero felt like dancing – and so did Glinda, apparently, because she was actually doing a little dance around the carriage. 'She's awake! She's going to be all right! She's getting better!'

Fiyero's laughed, feeling ten tons lighter now. 'Yes she is,' he agreed, looking down upon Elphaba with a loving look on his face. She seemed to be sleeping much more peaceful now, her face soft, her breathing steady, her body relaxed. He rested his head back against the head rest and closed his eyes for a moment. He was so very tired, and although he didn't really want to go to sleep, he didn't think he would be able to stay awake for much longer now that his nerves had been eased somewhat.

Glinda watched as he fell asleep. She couldn't blame him – he hadn't slept in days now. She was so very glad that Elphaba had woken up. Even if that didn't necessarily mean that everything would be fine, at least it was much better than her being unconscious and not responding to anything.

She looked out of the window. It was nearly sunset, but they wouldn't stop to find a hotel; no one could see Elphaba and Fiyero. They were to go on day and night, until they got to the Great Kells. They would only stop to swap drivers every now and then, since they couldn't really ask one man to stay awake for almost a week to drive a carriage.

In front of them was Doctor Quork's carriage and behind them was the prisoner's, which contained the Wizard. She hadn't liked bringing him along, but she hadn't really had a choice; she still wanted Elphaba to know the truth and she didn't want the Wizard to leave until she did. She couldn't leave him, either – he might just find a way to escape – and so she had had to bring him with her. She wondered briefly how Elphaba would react, but banished the thought from her head. That wouldn't be an issue for the time being – Elphaba would have to get better first.

She stared at her friend, lost in thought, so she nearly jumped when Elphaba suddenly opened her eyes and stared right back. 'Sweet Oz, Elphie!' she gasped. 'You nearly gave me a heart attack!'

The green girl managed just the tiniest hint of a smirk and Glinda smiled as if she was about to burst into tears – which she did just a clock-tick later. 'Oh Elphie,' she wept, 'I'm just so glad you're awake! I thought you were going to die!'

'You're being overdramatic, Glin,' Elphaba said, her voice soft and a bit unsteady. 'As always.'

Glinda squeaked, which made her friend laugh softly, and she tried to wipe her tears away. 'But you _might _have died! Doctor Quork said so!'

The green girl's eyes widened just a bit. 'Doctor Quork is here?'

Glinda shook her head. 'I'll tell you about that later, all right? It's quite a long story.'

Elphaba nodded and fell silent for a moment. Glinda took her hand and squeezed it. 'I'm really glad you're back, Elphie.'

'I think you made that clear,' Elphaba said drily. 'But thanks all the same.' She looked up at Fiyero, who was still holding her, even in his sleep. His head was tilted backwards and his mouth was hanging slightly open. Glinda followed her friend's gaze and giggled. 'This is definitely not his most flattering look.'

Elphaba chuckled softly. 'Well, I can't even begin to imagine how flattering _I _must have looked while I was unconscious,' she said. It still seemed strange to her that she had apparently been unconscious for quite some time without remembering anything. The past few days were just… gone.

'Oh, don't worry,' Glinda assured her. 'You were actually quite elegant – for a sick person. I mean, you didn't drool, or snort, or throw up, and your mouth wasn't hanging open like _that_,' she nodded meaningfully at Fiyero, 'although you must know that I would never, _ever_, ask you to give me a rat for my birthday.'

Elphaba blinked. 'I said that?'

Glinda nodded, giggling again – not so much because it was all that funny as because she was just so relieved. 'Yes. You said 'Galinda, stop whining! I'm not going to buy you a rat for your birthday!'.'

Elphaba thought about that for a moment. 'Now that you mention it… I remember having this strange dream.' She shook her head, dizziness once again washing over her when she did that, but she ignored it. She looked at her blonde friend and imagined her cooing over a rat. The image instantly made her chuckle. 'I did think it to be an odd request, especially coming from you,' she said, trying – and failing – to hide her smile. Glinda pulled a face. 'Thank Oz it was just a dream.' A painful look shot over her face as she thought of something. 'Elphie? Please don't get any ideas.'

Elphaba looked at her friend with a mischievous shimmer in her dark eyes. 'Why not? I'd love to see your reaction when you'd open your present and see a nice fat rat,' she chortled. 'And speaking of reactions… How did Fiyero tell you about us? That we were still alive, I mean? I don't remember anything between the soldiers beating me at Kiamo Ko and you two hovering over me at the palace.'

'I still can't believe how he managed to do _that_,' the blonde muttered, more to herself than to Elphaba. 'He brought you on horseback – he had been riding for an entire day – and somehow, he managed to break into the palace and force his way towards my chambers, where he somehow convinced the guards to let him in without them even knowing who he was. Really, I think it's quite amazing.'

'What did you do when you saw him?' asked Elphaba. 'I hope he broke the news to you with just the tiniest bit of subtlety – although that might not be one of his strengths.'

Glinda made a face once again. 'You could say that. He barged in, claiming to need my help and telling me not to 'freak out' when he'd tell me who he was. And then when I asked who he thought he was, telling me what to do, he was all like, 'your ex-fiancé'. He nearly gave me a heart attack.'

Elphaba chuckled once again. 'That sounds like him. And did you? Freak out?' She didn't feel like she really had to ask that question - she knew her friend, after all - but she did, just to make Glinda admit it.

'I never 'freak out'!' Glinda protested. 'And I didn't then! I just…' She fell silent when she realised that her reaction back then had be quite the example of 'freaking out'. 'Uhm… Well, I… I sort of thought you guys were spirits who had come back to haunt me,' she confessed, which made Elphaba grin. 'That does sound like you. That thought came with the necessary dramatics, I imagine?'

'Only if you count collapsing onto the floor and sobbing hysterically as 'dramatic',' Glinda said, sighing, but quickly defending herself. 'I thought you were _spirits_. Anyone would react that way if dead people suddenly showed up in front of them.'

'Only we weren't dead.'

'Which Fiyero told me right after that,' Glinda said. 'Although I couldn't really grasp the fact at the time. No one doubted even for the slightest second that you two were actually gone, and so I didn't either.'

'So he told you that we were still alive,' Elphaba stated. 'What did you do then?'

Glinda looked really unhappy now. 'Well, uhm… I sort of…' She sighed and admitted grudgingly, 'I might have fainted just a little.'

The corners of Elphaba's mouth curled up. 'How do you pull that off, faint 'just a little'?'

'All right, I fainted,' Glinda conceded, glaring at her friend. 'Happy now?'

Elphaba smirked. 'Yes, I am,' she told her friend. 'I wouldn't have expected anything less from you.'

* * *

**Please review! :)**


	7. Safe & Sound

**AU: I'm not ever going to stop thanking you for reviewing! :) I think it's really awesome that you guys all like this story so much - every time I'm a bit stuck, I go online to see if there are any new reviews, and it always makes me so happy when there are that my motivation and inspiration just come flying back in a clock-tick, so to speak ^^. **

**I'm also going to do just a bit of self-promo here: I wrote two oneshots in the past few days, so if you like this story, would you please take a look at them and tell me what you think? They're called 'Sleep' and 'Looking at things another way'. I have to warn you beforehand not to read them if you don't like Elphiyero fluff, because _I _seem to be slightly addicted to it off late.**

**Disclaimer: It sounds truly crazy, and true, the vision's hazy, but I swear someday... Perhaps... I might just... ****Nah. Not going to happen.**

* * *

By the time they reached the base of the Great Kells, Glinda sent the drivers and carriages back towards the Emerald City. They weren't sure what to think of all this – the mysterious prisoner, the even more mysterious patient, not to mention the mysterious destination of the journey – but Lady Glinda had assured them that she was on a secret mission of the uttermost importance and so they didn't question it.

Glinda entered the prisoner's carriage, where the Wizard was sitting in a corner. 'Now, your Ozness,' she said, walking up to him. 'We have to ride the rest of the way on horseback, so I'm going to let you out of here – but not without precautions.' She took a blindfold from behind her back. The Wizard quirked an eyebrow. 'Is that really necessary?'

'Absolutely,' she told him. She blindfolded him; then she pulled a black sack over his head. 'What's that for?' he protested, his voice muffled by the sack. Glinda stepped back for a moment, looking satisfied with the result. This way, she would be able to have him travel with them – she would tie the reigns of his horse to her own – without the risk of either Elphaba discovering his true identity or him discovering Elphaba's. 'I'm not going to answer that,' Glinda told him, pulling out a rope to tie him up. 'You'll just have to take my word for it if I tell you this is necessary. Now, please let me tie you up.'

He didn't even protest; he obediently waited for her to finish tying him up and he let her take him by the arm and lead him outside. 'Mind your step,' she warned him. He could hear voices – male voices, although he didn't recognise them – and he heard the snorting and whinnying of horses. He nearly tripped when Glinda suddenly came to a halt. 'This will be your horse for the time being,' she said. 'Put your left foot in this stirrup… yes, like that… now grab the saddle and pull yourself up – there you go.' She patted the horse's neck and looked up at the man sitting on top of the animal. 'Hold on tight – we wouldn't want you dropping all the way to the ground.'

Fiyero was watching her a bit wearily. 'And you actually think this is going to work?'

'I don't see any reason why it shouldn't,' she countered a bit offended. 'He can't see Elphie and Elphie can't see him, right?'

'Right,' Fiyero agreed. 'But don't you think that when Elphaba wakes up, she would want to know who the man with the black sack over his head is and why he is coming with us?'

Glinda shrugged. 'I'll make something up.'

'She can see right through you, Glinda, and you know that. If she sets her mind to it, she'll discoverate his identity in a clock-tick.'

'She would, normally,' Glinda conceded. 'But look at her – she's in no condition to play detective! And besides, did you have a better idea?' When he didn't answer that, she nodded. 'I thought so. It'll just have to do – at least until we get there. I'd imagine there to be some kind of dungeon at a hideout – or at least a room with a lock on the door.'

Fiyero sighed and gave in. 'If you say so. But I'm telling you, she's going to find out sooner or later.'

He looked down at her. She would now wake up every now and then, but she was still sleeping most of the time, and her fever just wouldn't go down, which worried him. She refused to eat, too, even though she had gotten dramatically thin over the past week – he could count her ribs with no effort at all. Doctor Quork had assured him that she would be saved if they got her to the Animal doctor, but Fiyero wasn't ready to believe that until he'd actually see it.

They rode in silence for a few hours, until the sun started to go down and they decided to stop for the night. There was a traveller's hut nearby; it was small, but comfortable, and a far better place to spend the night than outside in the cold. Fiyero gently put Elphaba down on the single bed there was in the room and went over to the fireplace. There were piles of wood stacked in a corner and he used those to start a small fire, while Doctor Quork once again examined Elphaba.

Glinda, in the meantime, had taken the Wizard outside. 'You'll be sleeping with the horses in the stable,' she told him in a tone of voice that made it clear there was no discussion possible. 'Here are some blankets and over there is some water and bread in case you get hungry or thirsty. Don't even think about escaping; I'm locking the door from the outside. If I catch you even _trying _to get away, I´m going to tie you up to that pillar over there and leave you _there _for the rest of the night. Got it?'

He merely nodded and she did, too. 'Good.' Then she left him alone and went inside, where Fiyero had gotten a nice fire going.

They spent the night in the traveller's hut – Glinda and the doctor wrapped up in blankets on the floor, Fiyero with Elphaba in the bed – and they took off again early the next morning. Again, they rode almost the entire day. The sun was just setting when they dismounted; they had to walk the final mile or so, leading their horses, because the path – if you could even call it that – was only barely accessible. Glinda, leading her own horse and the Wizard's, couldn't help but think of how incredibly strange the small procession would look to an outsider; first a doctor, leading two horses, followed by a man carrying a woman in his arms, both wrapped up in cloaks; behind them came a blonde girl in a ball gown wearing a tiara, who was also leading two horses, and finally a prisoner trudging behind the horses, his hands tied to the horses' reigns. She looked back so see how the Wizard was doing. He didn't complain; he didn't say anything, really, and she couldn't help but think that he might have changed. He had been genuinely shocked when he had found out that Elphaba was his daughter, and she suspected him to actually feel guilty and have regrets about what he had done – which he should, of course. She turned around again and called to Doctor Quork, 'How much longer do we have to walk?'

'We're almost there,' he replied. 'Just another mile or so.'

She nodded and they went on in silence again. Just when she was starting to think this to be the longest mile she had ever walked – she wasn't wearing the right shoes for such a walk, either – he stopped and exclaimed, 'Sweet Oz, Maráni, is that you?'

Glinda walked up to Fiyero, who was still carrying Elphaba, and whispered to him, 'Who's Maráni?'

'I'm not sure,' Fiyero whispered back, but Elphaba, who had been awake for a few minutes now, immediately brightened. 'Maráni's here?' she exclaimed, and she urged Fiyero to put her down, which he reluctantly did. She pulled back the hood of her cloak and with both Glinda and Fiyero supporting her on either side, she started limping towards where Doctor Quork was standing. Upon coming closer, Glinda and Fiyero could tell that he was talking to a big Wolf and they both gasped in surprise, but the doctor didn't seem the least bit concerned and neither did Elphaba. The Wolf looked up when she heard them approach and her eyes widened. 'Fabala!'

'It's me,' Elphaba confirmed, smiling. She let go of Glinda and Fiyero and limped forward so that she could wrap her arms around the Wolf. Maráni carefully licked her cheek – the one that wasn't bruised – and nuzzled her side. 'Sweet Oz, little one, I was convinced that you had died! Master Gold himself came by a few days ago to tell us that horrendible news!'

'It was a hoax,' Fiyero said, stepping up from behind the green girl. 'The original plan was for us to fake Elphaba's death and flee Oz together, but some of the palace guards discoverated her. She ended up getting awfully close to _actually _dying.'

'It was Morrible,' Elphaba said grimly. 'I should have known she wouldn't buy the whole melting thing – it was a bit far-fetched, after all.'

'The rest of Oz believed it,' Fiyero disagreed. Maráni nodded. 'Even we did. Sweet Oz, little one, am I glad you're still alive!' She licked the green girl's face again and Elphaba hugged the big Wolf. When she straightened herself again, she swayed a bit and Fiyero quickly slid his arm around her waist to support her. 'Careful. We need to get you to that doctor.'

'He's right,' Doctor Quork said. 'You two will have time to catch up later. This way, Fiyero.' He started walking. Fiyero lifted Elphaba bridal style and followed the doctor; Maráni was right behind them, but Glinda's voice stopped her. 'Maráni? Are there dungeons of any kind here?'

Maráni smiled as she noticed the blonde girl for the first time. 'Well, well. If it isn't Glinda the Good. I must admit, I never believed Elphaba when she told me there was so much more to you than it seemed, but your being here with her clearly proves I was wrong.' She tilted her head a bit and beckoned the blonde. 'Follow me – I'll take you to the dungeons. Dare I ask who you're planning to lock up in there?'

'You wouldn't believe it if I told you,' was all Glinda said. The Wolf merely shrugged and started showing Glinda the way to the dungeons.

* * *

Fiyero followed Doctor Quork into a network of caves, carrying Elphaba in his arms. It was late, a few hours after sunset, and so they didn't encounter any other Animals on their way towards the Animal doctor – Fiyero assumed them all to be asleep. Doctor Quork quickly lead them through several smaller caves before coming to a halt in front of a wooden door. He knocked a few times and waited a few clock-ticks for the door to open and a Goat to poke his head out. 'Who in Oz dares to disturb me at this hour…' he began, before falling silent and staring at the strange party standing in front of him.

Doctor Quork smiled at the Goat and started to say something when Fiyero and Elphaba gasped in surprise at exactly the same time. 'Doctor _Dillamond_?!'

'Surprise!' Quork told them, smiling. Fiyero shook his head; Elphaba merely stared at him. 'But… but how?'

'Somehow, he managed to find his way here after escaping the palace,' Doctor Quork explained. 'He's been with us ever since. We taught him how to speak again and he slowly got back to his old self.'

'I always thought he taught History,' Fiyero said, frowning. 'What does he know about medicine then?'

'I've been a doctor for years before I even started teaching history, young man,' the Goat reprimanded him with a stern look. 'I know everything there is to know about medicine. What is going on here, Quork?' he then turned to the other doctor. 'Who are these people and why are they standing on my doorstep in the middle of the night?'

Elphaba nudged Fiyero softly and he, immediately knowing what she meant, carefully set her down on her feet. 'Doctor Dillamond,' she began cautiously, 'you'll probably remember us. We used to be students of yours when you taught History at Shiz University before those,' she bit back the very unladylike term that in her opinion described those people best, '_men _took you away.'

'You were students of mine?' he asked in surprise. 'I didn't think any of my students would even remember me – they never seemed to pay much attention to my lectures, with a few rare exceptions. What are your names?'

Elphaba drew a breath. 'This is Fiyero Tiggular,' she said, pointing at Fiyero. He pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal his face.

The Goat was obviously surprised to see him. 'Why yes, I remember you!'

Fiyero smiled and inclined his head a bit. 'It's good to see you again, doctor.'

Doctor Dillamond, however, was now staring at Elphaba, narrowing his eyes. 'Now wait just a clock-tick…' he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. 'Are you… No, you can't be.'

'I am,' Elphaba told him earnestly, pulling back the hood of her cloak just enough for him to see her green skin. He stared at her for a moment; then a smile slowly appeared on his face and he spread his arms. 'Why, Miss Elphaba! Of course I remember you! I had never expected to see you again!' Then he surprised everyone, including himself, by throwing his arms around the green girl and hugging her for a short moment. 'It's good to see you,' he told her sincerely. 'I was so sad when I heard of your apparent death. You were my best student back then and I have always been very fond of you – not to mention that if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here today. I never had a chance to thank you for that – helping me escape from the palace.'

She gave him a somewhat weary smile. 'I'm glad you made it here and I'm even happier that you're talking again. I wasn't sure what had happened to you after I left.'

The Goat smiled fondly at her. 'So what brings you here, child?'

She hesitated for a moment and Fiyero stepped in. 'Doctor Quork will fill you in on the details, but the simple version is that she needs help.' He carefully lifted the cloak from Elphaba's shoulders, revealing some of her injuries – not even her worst injuries, but Doctor Dillamond's eyes still widened in shock. 'Miss Elphaba! What's happened to you?'

'That can wait,' Doctor Quork, who had noticed how tired Elphaba was, interrupted. 'I'll tell you everything, Dillamond, but first we need to get them a room – she really needs to lie down.'

'Of course,' Doctor Dillamond nodded quickly. 'Follow me, if you will.'

* * *

As soon as they had Elphaba settled on a bed, Doctor Dillamond became very businesslike. He chased Fiyero out of the room, but allowed Quork to stay and assist him. Fiyero, of course, didn't really like this state of affairs, but he didn't protest – he trusted Dillamond to know what he was doing. Instead, he waited in the next room. After a few minutes, he started pacing, and by the time Glinda had safely locked up the Wizard and came to look for him, a few hours later, he had worn a ditch in the carpet.

'Fiyero.' She went to stand right in front of him, so he _had _to stop pacing. She took his hands in hers and squeezed them. 'She's going to be fine, all right? You just have to have faith. Now why don't you sit down for a moment and tell me what happened?'

He hesitated for a moment, but finally gave in and took a seat across from Glinda. She was very surprised to hear that the Animal doctor Quork had spoken of was Doctor Dillamond. 'Elphie must have been happy to see him,' she said. 'I remember how much she liked the old Goat.'

Fiyero nodded. 'Well, to make a long story short, they have been in there ever since. I have no idea what he's doing or how much longer it's going to take.'

She squeezed his hand again. 'We'll just have to wait and see, then.'

It turned out they didn't have to wait that much longer after that; only about half an hour later, Doctor Quork came into the room. Both Glinda and Fiyero immediately jumped up and looked at him expectantly. He gave them a reassuring smile. 'He knows what he's doing, children, don't worry. It's looking good.'

Just as he was saying that, Doctor Dillamond entered the room as well. He smiled upon seeing Glinda. 'Well, well – if that's not another nice surprise! Miss Ggg-' he cleared his throat and tried again, 'Gálinda Upland of the Upper Uplands!'

Everyone was silent for a moment; then Fiyero burst out laughing. Glinda glared at him, but that didn't seem to have much effect – if any, it only made it worse. Finally, Glinda sighed and grumbled, 'It's Glinda now. With a _Gl_.'

Dillamond gave her a slightly surprised look until it finally dawned on him. 'Sweet Oz, now I see – _you're _Glinda the Good?' He shook his head. 'I have to admit, I would never have seen that coming back in the days you were in my class.'

'Neither would I,' Glinda admitted, smiling involuntarily as she thought of those times. She had been so different back then – so much more shallow, naïve, self-absorbed. It was amazing, really, how much a person could change if they really had to.

Fiyero interrupted her thoughts a bit impatiently. 'How is she, Doctor Dillamond? Is she going to be all right?'

'You made a wise decision bringing her to me,' the Goat told him earnestly. 'Her condition was – and is - quite grave and she is in a lot of pain, even though she's been trying her best to hide that from you. I did what I could to help her, though, and I don't think her life is in danger anymore.'

Fiyero and Glinda let out a collective sigh of relief at that. Fiyero asked a bit nervously, 'Can I see her?'

Doctor Dillamond smiled at him and nodded. 'She's awake and she wants to see you, too.'

* * *

Elphaba was indeed awake, and feeling – and looking – much better, when Fiyero came in. She smiled as he walked up to her, sat himself on the edge of the bed and laced his fingers through hers. It was only then she noticed there were tears in his eyes, which almost, but not quite, made her cry, too.

She carefully worked herself up on her arms and leaned over to kiss him. 'Please don't cry.'

He tightly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and she relaxed in his embrace. 'I love you,' he whispered in her ear and she cuddled closer against him. 'I love you, too.'

They sat like that for an everlasting moment, not feeling the need to say anything else. Then Glinda came barging in with a radiating smile on her face that immediately lit the whole room. 'Elphie! How are you feeling?'

'Better,' the green girl said truthfully. 'But Doctor Dillamond said it might take quite a while for me to recover completely.'

'But you _will _recover, won't you?' the blonde asked anxiously. Elphaba smiled. 'You know me – of course I will.'

'Yay!' Glinda exclaimed happily and she hugged her friend. 'Doctor Dillamond said you needed rest, though, so I'll be leaving you alone again. He said you could stay if you want to,' she continued, looking at Fiyero. He nodded. 'I will.'

'I'll be sleeping in the room next to this one, if you need me.' Glinda waved. 'I'm going to go now, before Dillamond comes back.'

'What, he doesn't know you're in here?' Elphaba asked. The blonde girl looked at her friend a bit sheepishly. 'He might have actually forbidden me to go in here because you needed to rest,' she admitted somewhat reluctantly. 'And I might just have ignored that and snuck in here when he went to get something.'

Elphaba chuckled softly. 'You'd better hurry back, then.'

Glinda gave her another sheepish smile, then spun around and hurried back to her own room.


	8. Always Longed To Be A Father

**AN: Finally, the chapter you've (hopefully) all been waiting for! The title says enough, so I'm not going to add anything - just start reading and you'll find out ^^.**

* * *

Elphaba did get better over the following days, mainly because Doctor Dillamond practically forced her to rest. Fiyero stayed with her all the time and the doctor allowed Glinda in every now and then as well, but she wasn't to see anyone else, not even Maráni. She wasn't allowed to leave her bed and she wasn't even allowed to read, because of her concussion. Fiyero tried his best – he kept her company, told her stories, read to her and talked to her, but still – she was starting to get just a bit irritable. After a whole week, Doctor Dillamond finally decided she could get up for a short time a few times a day, but she wasn't to put weight on her broken ankle – he had gotten her a wooden crutch to help her with that - and she had to have someone with her. Despite those constraints, she was happy to be up and about.

The first time she left her room was to go see Maráni, who was very pleased to see her. 'I see you're getting better, Fabala,' she observed, rubbing her head against Elphaba's side in an affectionate gesture. 'I'm glad.'

'So am I,' the green girl told her sincerely, which made the Wolf chuckle. 'I know it must be difficult for you to have to rest so much, little one, but Doctor Dillamond wouldn't make you do that if he didn't think it to be necessary. Now, are you allowed to stay up for just a bit longer? There are some friends here who would like to see you – not to mention see you alive and well with their own eyes.'

'Of course I want to see them!' Elphaba said eagerly. Maráni smiled. 'I thought so. You can come out now, kids!' she called and not a clock-tick later, a quite impressive number of younger Animals came running in – Maráni's cubs were among them, as well as a few young Cats, Lions, Bears and Dogs. Elphaba kneeled down, a broad smile lighting up her face, and the young ones practically jumped her. 'Elphaba! You're alive!'

'What, did you think I'd leave you all alone out here?' she asked, smiling despite the fact that the Animals leaping upon her had actually hurt quite a bit. She wrapped her arms around them and hugged and petted them. 'I've missed you guys.'

'We've missed you, too!' one of Maráni's cubs told her. A small Cat sitting on her lap was nuzzling her neck and the green girl's smile broadened. 'How are you, Nuki?'

'I'm quite well, thank you,' the Cat replied politely. Then she jumped on Elphaba's shoulder and started rubbing her head against the witch's cheek. 'I've really, really missed you.'

Elphaba picked up the small tortoiseshell Cat and held it close against her. 'I know you did, Nuki. It's all right – I'm here now.'

It wasn't long before Maráni decided it to be enough and she sent the young ones off to play somewhere else. 'You'll have plenty of time to talk to Elphaba later,' she told them sternly, at which they reluctantly left. The large Wolf looked at the witch with her golden eyes. 'You'd better get back to your room now, Fabala. We wouldn't want you exhausting yourself.'

Just this once, Elphaba didn't make any objections – she _was _feeling rather tired, after all. Fiyero, of course, sensed this, and so he scooped her up again to carry her back to their room, where he gently lay her down on the bed. She didn't feel like sleeping, however, and so she snuggled closer to Fiyero. 'I don't think I've ever spent this much time in bed before,' she told him with a small snort.

He laughed softly. 'I would have found it surprising if you had. These are quite unique circumstances, after all.' He fell silent for a while before speaking up again. 'It made you really happy to see those cubs again, didn't it?'

He felt rather than saw her smile. 'Yes, it did. You must understand – this has been my home for years, some time ago. These Animals have become my family. Maráni… she's the mother I never had. She's always looking out for me, giving me advice when I need some, worrying about me getting myself in trouble…'

'Which obviously doesn't prevent you from doing so…'

She chuckled. 'Obviously.'

'Why does she call you Fabala?'

'It's the Quadling form of my name,' she explained. 'Maráni was born in Quadling Country, you see. It's some sort of nickname she has for me. She calls me either that or 'little one', which I think is a bit silly, since I'm not that little at all – but then again, compared to a big Wolf like her, I probably am.'

'And those cubs… you know them all by name?'

She nodded. 'I was there when Maráni's cubs were born and I've known most of them since they were just a few days old. I used to play with them whenever I had the time.'

'You seemed to be particularly fond of that little tortoiseshell Cat,' Fiyero noticed. 'Nuki, I think you called her?'

'I think you might say Nuki is a special case,' she conceded. 'She's an orphan; I found her when she was just a small kitten, barely two days old. I took her home with me – and by home I mean this hideout – and I practically raised her. She grew to be particularly fond of me, and I'm very fond of her, too. I hated leaving her here, but I hated sitting still and not doing anything even more, so I left her with Maráni every time I flew off on a mission. She took care of Nuki as if that little Cat was one of her own cubs.' She smiled fondly. 'I hadn't seen Nuki for quite some time, now. She's grown – although she'll probably always be small compared to the average Cat.'

Fiyero tried to process what she was telling them. He imagined how her life had been here – living among the Animals, being treated by them as an equal, considering them her family… He had always imagined her to have been very lonely in the years between her fleeing the palace and her coming back to free the flying monkeys, but apparently, that hadn't been the case at all. She probably loved these Animals more than she had ever loved her own father, Fiyero thought. He couldn't blame her for that – after what she had told him about her father, he had came to hate the man for what he had done to her.

_No, not her father, _he corrected himself. _The Governor, her mother's husband, her sister's father, but not _her _father. _Her_ father was locked up in a dungeon right now, not half a mile away from the room they were in… _

* * *

She must have drifted off to sleep anyway, because the next thing she knew, she woke up upon hearing a soft meow. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Sitting on top of her chest was Nuki, looking at her with large orange eyes. Elphaba carefully stretched and the Cat made a soft mewing sound. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you!'

'That's all right,' she assured the little Animal as she carefully pushed herself up. Fiyero was lying next to her, fast asleep, but she herself was wide awake now. 'Did you need my help with something?' she asked Nuki. The Cat shook her head. 'Not exactly. It's just…' She drew a deep breath. 'I overheard this conversation between Maráni and your friend Glinda a few minutes ago, and… well, it was about something concerning you. They're not planning on telling you anytime soon, but I feel like you have the right to know.'

Elphaba, a bit alarmed now, took her crutch and slowly got up from the bed. 'Know what?'

'I think showing you would be best,' Nuki told her a bit hesitantly. 'Are you able to come with me?'

'Of course.' Elphaba followed the young Cat through a few caves and carved out hallways, until they came to a halt in front of a wooden door. She tried the doorknob – it was locked. 'The keys are up there,' Nuki told her and she reached out to grab them. Then she unlocked the door and it swung open.

At first, she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. She was sure she was dreaming. Or being delusional, maybe – yes, that would definitely be much more probable that the only other option: that this was real, and that the former Wizard of Oz was actually sitting in front of her.

The man looked up with a miserable expression on his face – an expression that was quickly replaced by one of utter shock when he saw her and jumped up. 'You!' he exclaimed. 'You're supposed to be dead!'

'And you're supposed to be…' She wasn't really sure how to finish that sentence, so she just snapped, 'well, not here, that's for sure!'

Her mind was raging. What was he doing here? She had assumed Glinda to have locked him up, but why would she lock him up here instead of at the palace dungeons? Did Glinda even _know _he was here?

His shock seemed to be fading a bit and he now looked at her in a way that made her a bit uncomfortable. It was an expression she couldn't quite read – as if he was seeing her for the very first time. He lifted his arm, as if he was about to reach out for her, but he froze in the middle of the movement and dropped his arm to his side again. Her whole body was tense now, ready to respond to whatever he might try in order to kill her, or hurt her, or escape.

At that moment, they were interrupted by a high-pitched shriek that could only come from one person. 'Elphie!' Glinda rushed into the room… and came to an abrupt halt when what she was seeing got through to her. A painful expression crossed her face. 'Oh.'

'"Oh",' Elphaba repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 'Is that all you have to say?'

'Well, uhm…' The blonde tried to make up an excuse, but she couldn't think of anything and so she just let her shoulders hang. 'Yeah, that's about all I have to say, really. Besides perhaps "I'm sorry I didn't tell you", except that I'm not really, sorry that is, because you were sick and dying and I really don't think I had a chance of telling you.'

Fiyero came dashing around the corner. 'Glinda? Have you found – _oh_,' he finished, taking in the scene. Elphaba turned to stare daggers at him. 'Is that really all you two can come up with?'

'What do you want us to say?' Glinda asked. The green girl turned to face her friend. 'Well, for a start, I think I'd like you to explain the meaning of this,' she said sarcastically. Glinda nodded quickly. 'All right. Yes. That sounds reasonable. Uhm… Well, the original plan was for me to send him back to where he came from in the first place – the other world. But by then I had discoverated something about him, and then I found out that you and Fiyero were still alive, I decided to keep him around for a while, and I couldn't leave him back at the palace because someone might find out and he might escape and I really didn't want that to happen so I just decided to take him with us…'

'Glinda,' Fiyero interrupted her gently. 'You're babbling.'

The blonde stopped talking. 'I am, aren't I? This probably isn't making any sense. Oh Elphie, it's just that… I didn't know how to tell you!'

'Tell me _what_?' Elphaba demanded, looking from Glinda to Fiyero and back. The blonde girl cleared her throat, but didn't answer, and Fiyero merely stared at his feet. Nuki, in the meantime, had snuck into the room and was now poking her head inside the pocket of the Wizard's coat, pulling out a small, green bottle with one of her front paws. 'Elphaba? Does this mean anything to you? I heard them mention it…'

Elphaba went just a bit pale. 'He stole my bottle?! That was my _mother's_, you obnoxious piece of…'

'He didn't steal it,' Glinda suddenly spoke up. 'I still have yours.' She pulled it out of her own pocket to show it to Elphaba, who became even paler. 'But… But that means… Are you saying that… No!' She spun around to face the Wizard and spat her words out. 'I don't know why you own the exact same bottle my mother has passed on to me, and I don't _want _to know either. I don't care! I just want you out of my sight for the rest of my life!'

He winced at that. 'Elphaba…'

'Don't you 'Elphaba' me!' she snapped. 'You know nothing about me! Nothing at all!' A few rocks that were lying here and there on the floor, suddenly started to shudder, and Fiyero stepped forward with a worried look on his face. 'Fae? Maybe you should…'

'Quit telling me what to do!' She spun again, to face Fiyero this time, her eyes blazing. She wasn't even quite sure why she was yelling at him – perhaps because being angry was far easier at the moment than stopping to acknowledge the truth that was slowly worming its way into her mind. The rocks now rose from the floor, still shuddering, and Fiyero quickly pushed Glinda behind him and they both stepped back a bit.

'I'm sorry, Elphaba,' the Wizard said genuinely. 'If I'd known this before…' He didn't finish what he had been about to say, but instead was able to duck away just in time to avoid the rocks flying at his head. Nuki gave a small yelp of fear and hid under Glinda's skirts, while the rocks flew wildly throughout the room and finally exploded in a shower of smaller gravel.

Elphaba was trembling, trying to get a hold of herself. It had been a long time since she had lost control over her emotions this badly, so badly her powers flew off the handle, but she felt like this time it was kind of justified. She still refused to believe what she understood must be the truth.

'Fae…' Fiyero tried to take a step closer, but she held up one hand to stop him. 'Don't.' She was a little out of breath and she was leaning heavily on her wooden crutch, trying to compose her thoughts and feelings.

Surprisingly, it was Nuki who finally managed to snap her out of it. 'It's true, Elphaba,' the small Cat said to her in a small, slightly quivering voice, cautiously leaving the safety of Glinda's skirts. 'I heard them say it. He's your father.'

'No, he's not.' Suddenly, she was feeling very calm. What did this really mean, after all? Frex hadn't been that much of a father, either – so whoever her father was, he sucked. End of story.

'Fathers,' she went on in an icy tone of voice, 'don't destroy their daughters lives. Fathers don't declare their daughters wicked. Fathers don't send people to _kill _their daughters – and they certainly don't throw parties to celebrate when they succeed in doing so.'

'That was Madam Morrible, not me!' he protested, but one look from the green girl made him shut up in an instant. 'This doesn't change anything,' she told him flatly, before turning around and leaving the room. Fiyero and Glinda both started to follow her, but she told them, without even looking back, 'Leave me alone. Both of you.'

She didn't go back to her room – that would be the first place for them to look for her, so she just wandered about the caves a bit, not really seeing where she was going, until she found an empty room. She slid down with her back against the wall, pulled up her legs and buried her face in her arms.

She looked up when she heard someone enter the room. 'Go away,' she started to snap, 'can't you see I'm… Oh. It's you.'

'Yes it's me.' Maráni came closer and sat down next to Elphaba, who shot her a huffy look. 'How did you find me?'

'I may not be the youngest Wolf anymore, but my nose is still excellent, Fabala,' the Wolf told her. 'Nuki told me what had happened. Are you all right?'

'I'm fine,' the green girl grumbled. Maráni tilted one eyebrow and Elphaba sighed. 'All right, maybe I'm not. I'm not sure at the moment, to be perfectly honest.'

Maráni nodded. 'That is only understandable. But, little one, you were right. It doesn't change anything if you don't want it to.'

'But… I'm not sure if I want it to,' Elphaba confessed. Maráni smiled a little. 'Ah. Now we're getting somewhere.'

Elphaba shifted her fingers a bit to glare at the Wolf; then she sighed. 'I just don't know what to do…' She buried her face in her arms again and Maráni nuzzled her arm. 'It's all right to cry, Fabala. Anyone would after what you've just been going through.'

'I'm not crying,' Elphaba sniffed, trying to sound offended, but by that time the tears were already pouring out of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Maráni's neck and buried her face in the Wolf's thick fur, crying like she hadn't cried in a long time.

'Elphaba?' a small voice asked. She looked up and saw Nuki tentatively enter the room. She grumbled, wiping away her tears. 'And I thought I had found a decent hiding place. Am I that predictable?'

Nuki giggled softly. 'No. I followed Maráni.' She came in further, but hesitated. 'I'm sorry.'

Elphaba looked at the small Cat in surprise. 'Why? You did the right thing, Nuki.'

'No.' The Animal shook her head. 'I should have waited for Glinda and Fiyero to tell you themselves. Now you're mad at them and it's my fault…'

'I'm not mad.' Elphaba shook her head and reached out to pick up the tortoiseshell Cat and set her on her lap to pet her. 'I'm just a bit confused, that's all. I don't blame you for anything, Nuki. I'm glad you did what you did.'

Nuki didn't look convinced. 'Really?'

The green girl nodded earnestly. 'Really.' She looked at Maráni, who was smiling at her. 'Then there's only one more decision left to make.'

Elphaba nodded again, making a sour face. 'What do you think I should do, Maráni?'

'You should do what your heart tells you to do,' the Wolf told her. Elphaba gritted her teeth irritably. 'That doesn't help, Maráni.'

'Elphaba?' Nuki said quietly. 'If it's any help… I do believe he really feels bad about what happened. Like I said, I overheard Glinda and Maráni talking earlier…'

'Eavesdropping is a very bad habit, young lady,' Maráni interrupted her sternly, but Elphaba merely smirked. 'Not necessarily so – it's a habit that I have found to be quite useful in the past. Go on, Nuki.'

'Well…' The little Cat hesitated again for a moment. 'Your friend Glinda said that he nearly collapsed when he found out you were his daughter, after he thought he had killed you.'

Elphaba looked at Maráni, who nodded a bit reluctantly. 'It's true. Morrible – well, she didn't show any remorse at all, the witch - she merely found it kind of fascinating. But the Wizard himself has been a broken man ever since.'

'You have to decide for yourself, of course,' Nuki hurried to say. 'But… well, I think you might want to give him a chance. To make things right again.'

'It won't be possible for him to 'make things right again',' Elphaba declared a bit hot-headed. Then she calmed herself down a bit and admitted reluctantly, 'but you might be right. I'll… I'll think about it, I guess.'

Maráni nodded earnestly. 'You do that. Now, do you think you can see Fiyero now? I think I can hear him wear a ditch in the floor in the other room.'

Elphaba smiled faintly at that. 'Sure… I'll come with you.'

Fiyero stopped his pacing immediately when she appeared. 'Fae…'

She stood there for a few clock-ticks, not able to bring herself to come any closer. She looked at him and said flatly, 'I can't believe you didn't tell me.'

He opened his mouth to say something, but she wasn't finished yet. 'I know you worried about upsetting me, Fiyero. But I'm a big girl. I can handle myself. You should have told me.'

He hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded. 'You're right. I'm sorry.'

'When did you find out?'

He thought about that for a moment. 'Not too long ago. Glinda told me about it just before you got that fever.'

All right, so perhaps it _was _understandable that he hadn't told her before, she realised; she had been alternately unconscious and delirious for days, and this wasn't the sort of thing to drop on someone right after they had woken up from something closely resembling a coma. She hated to admit it, but perhaps she had overreacted – about them not telling her, that was, not about the news itself. _That _reaction had been perfectly justifiable.

She sighed. 'Fine, then. I'm sorry. All right? I shouldn't have blamed you for not telling me when you really didn't have a chance to do so.' She always hated admitting that she was wrong about something, but she felt like it was the right thing to do.

She saw the relief in his sapphire eyes. 'You're not angry with me?'

She laughed and limped forward to wrap her arms around him. 'I could never be angry with you, silly,' she told him truthfully, looking in his eyes. 'Not for long, anyway.'

He smiled, slid his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her. 'I'm glad.'

'Now there's someone else I'll have to apologise to,' she sighed as they pulled apart again. 'Someone I imagine to be just the tiniest bit hysterical at the moment because of my… outburst.'

Fiyero made a face, then chuckled. 'You'd better go and find Glinda, then – before she gets herself so worked up that she faints again.'

* * *

**Whoo. I've already written the next chapter - it ends with a cliffhanger, so be prepared. Please review - your reviews are what keeps me going! :) **


	9. Something Bad

**AU: Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews! :) **

**- EvilLoveTriangle: yes, I'm purposefully using song lyrics for most of my chapter titles ^^. I'm not good at coming up with fitting titles, so I just look at what happens in the chapter and then whatever title first pops into my head, I use. Usually Wicked song lyrics because I'm just addicted to the songs. (Most of the titles that aren't named after Wicked lyrics, are actually named after other song lyrics :3.)**

**I noticed I forgot to put up a disclaimer last time, but seriously - we all know I don't own Wicked.**

* * *

'But Elphie,' Glinda protested, for what must have been the twentieth time. 'Those rocks were _flying_.'

'I can't believe _that's_ what you're getting yourself all worked up about after everything that's happened,' Elphaba retorted. 'You've seen my powers in action before. What's different now?'

'Elphaba, moving wheelchairs around and enchanting broomsticks to fly is something entirely different than what you just did! You sent those rocks _flying _without even using a spell!'

'Glinda…'

'And then you _crushed _them like it was nothing, while some of that rocks were nearly half as big as you!'

Maráni, who was sitting in a corner with her cubs, snorted. 'You should have seen her back when she used to live here. When she first moved here, a few weeks after she left you at the Emerald City, she didn't have any control over her powers at all – she blew up one of our caves in a fit of rage.'

The blonde's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets. 'She _blew up _an entire _cave_?!'

Elphaba was looking a bit sheepishly. 'Well… yes. It was an accident,' she quickly defended herself. 'I have much more control over my powers now. Only sometimes, when I get really angry…' She let her voice trail away and shrugged.

Glinda shook her head incredulously. 'You nearly gave me a heart attack, Elphie.'

The green girl smirked. 'Again?'

Glinda shot her a look. Then her face softened and she asked quietly, 'What are you going to do now? With the Wizard, I mean?'

'Do I look like I have even the slightest clue?'

Glinda sighed. 'No, I suppose you don't. It's just… well… I need to know.'

Elphaba sensed the tension in her voice and vigilantly looked her friend up and down. 'Why?'

The blonde girl sighed again. 'Elphie… I hate having to do this, but… well… I can't stay here.'

Elphaba smiled a bit sadly as she realised what her friend meant. 'I know,' she said. 'You have to get back to the Emerald City. There are lots of things you need to take care of, Glin. I understand.'

Glinda nodded. 'And… well… I need to know if I have to take _him _back with me to send him off in his balloon, or if you'd prefer him to stay here.'

The witch thought about that for a moment. 'I'm not sure… how about you just leave him here? I think he's perfectly fine, staying in that dungeon, and that way, I'll have some more time to think about it. You can always take him back with you after your next visit – you _will _visit again, won't you?'

'Of course!' Glinda said, sounding offended. 'I would never leave you here without checking up on you every now and then – you'd get yourself in trouble within no time at all.'

'You checking up on me won't prevent me from doing that,' Elphaba grinned, and the blonde laughed. 'Well, yes, you have a point there.'

Looking into her friends' eyes, Elphaba became serious again. 'When will you be leaving?'

'Within a few days,' replied Glinda. 'I'll take my bubble – that way the journey will be much shorter, not to mention more pleasant. And I'm going to do what I promised you I would do, Elphie. I'm going to try my best to make Oz a better place, starting by eliminating the Animal bans.'

Elphaba hugged her friend. 'Thank you, Glinda.'

The blonde smiled, then frowned as she took a close look at her friend. 'Now wait just a clock-tick. How long have you been up, exactly?'

'Glinda!' the green girl protested, but Glinda didn't give in. 'You look like a walking dead body, Elphie – no offense. Now either you let me take you back to your room…'

'I'm _fine_!'

'…or I'm going to call Fiyero so he can carry you again.'

Elphaba glared at her friend, who was looking very pleased with herself. The blonde merely smirked. 'It's your pick.'

* * *

'Are you sure you want to do this?'

Elphaba looked at Maráni rather nervously. 'Why? Do you think it's a bad idea?'

The Wolf shook her head. 'Not at all, little one. I just want to make sure you're not rushing into things.'

'Now is as good a time as any, I suppose,' replied Elphaba. She limped towards the door and reached for the keys.

'Do you want me to stay with you?' Maráni asked. Elphaba hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. 'No, thank you. I think I'd prefer to talk to him alone.'

'Does that mean I can't stay either?' asked Nuki, who was sitting on Maráni's back, a little disappointed. '_Someone _has to be there to make sure you don't murder him, right?'

Elphaba rolled her eyes good-naturedly at that and laughed. 'I'm not planning on murdering him, Nuki.'

'You weren't last time,' Maráni pointed out. 'And yet you almost did. I think it might be a good idea for Nuki to stay with you.'

Elphaba sighed and nodded. 'Sure, Nuki. If that's what you really want.'

'Yay!' Nuki exulted. She jumped off Maráni's back and went to stand next to Elphaba. The green girl opened the door and entered the room, with Nuki close behind her.

The Wizard looked up when she entered the room. The expression on his face was one of utter surprise. 'Elphaba…' Suddenly, he looked very nervous and fearful. 'Have you come to murder me?'

'Why does everyone seem to think I want to murder you?!' Elphaba sputtered in protest. 'Do I look that murderous to you?'

'Well… no.' The Wizard lowered his eyes. 'But I figured… well… I don't think I could blame you if you did want to murder me. I've certainly given you enough reason.'

Elphaba cautiously closed the door behind her and went to take a seat across from him at a reasonable distance. She wasn't sure if she could trust this change of heart, and so she wanted to be prepared for anything.

'True,' she agreed quietly. Nuki jumped on her lap and sat down, eyeing the Wizard suspiciously, tail twitching from left to right.

The man looked up again, curiosity in his eyes. 'But if you didn't come to murder me… what _did _you come to do?'

She shrugged. 'I'm not sure, really. Talk, I suppose.' She fell silent for a moment. 'What's your real name?'

He looked up in surprise. 'What?'

'You came from another world – I don't assume you've been called 'the Wizard' your entire life,' Elphaba pointed out. 'And I certainly am not going to keep on calling you 'your Ozness'. So what is it? Your name?'

He sighed. 'Oscar.'

'Oscar.' She tilted her head a little to the right. 'Not a common name, is it? I haven't heard it before in my life.'

'It is common where I come from,' he told her a bit miserably. 'Elphaba… I just want you to know that I'm really, really sor-'

'Why did you do it?' she interrupted. He looked down at his feet. 'You knew too much. You would be dangerous if you wouldn't work _with _me, so Madam Morrible had this plan to fool all of Oz into believing you to be wicked…'

She shook her head. 'Not that. Why did you treat the Animals the way you did? Why did you blame them for everything when they had never done _anything _to hurt you?'

'I told you the truth before.' The Wizard – Oscar – seemed lost in thought for a moment. 'The people needed a scapegoat and the Animals seemed to be the perfect fit – no pun intended. I just… I guess I was so overwhelmed by all this new power I suddenly had over people, that I didn't… think clearly.'

'You could say that,' Elphaba muttered. Nuki rubbed her head against the green girl's arm and Elphaba smiled and petted the small Cat. Then she looked up again, right into Oscar's eyes. 'Do you even _realise _what you've done to them?'

Oscar hung his head, but didn't say anything. Elphaba went on. 'You forced them into hiding. You hurt them. You had them murdered. You incited the people of Oz to do the same – I've seen Animals being hunt down to serve as _food_! Not animals, but Animals! Some of the Animals who came here were crippled, mutilated – your guards having cut off their paws or tails or ears!' She felt her temper flare up again and she tried to calm herself down before she sent any other rocks – or certain _people _– flying. She went on in a quiet tone of voice. 'Nuki here has lost her parents and siblings because of you. Your men murdered them – he murdered young Kittens of barely a day old. Nuki only survived because she was the smallest and she was underneath her siblings – they didn't see her.'

The man looked at the small tortoiseshell Cat on Elphaba's lap and said, 'I'm sorry.' He sounded sincere, but Elphaba didn't trust him at all.

Nuki, however, apparently did, because she left Elphaba's lap and looked up at the former Wizard. 'Don't be,' she said a bit bluntly. 'You can't change what happened, after all. You can't miss what you didn't have, right?'

He looked like he was about to cry. 'But…'

'And if it _hadn't _happened,' Nuki went on as if he hadn't spoken at all, 'I would have never met the best person in the world – the only human any of us could ever trust.' She looked at Elphaba with a fond look in her orange eyes, and the green girl smiled at the small Cat. She picked her up and hugged her. 'Thank you, Nuki.'

'It's true,' the little Cat told her. The turned her orange gaze back to Oscar. 'I do accept your apologies,' she told him. 'I can see that you really mean it. You have a lot more apologising to do, though.'

Oscar actually had tears in his eyes. 'I know. But… thank you. It means a lot to me.'

Elphaba was eyeing him up and down, not sure what to think. Nuki, because of her background, had never been very trusting – especially not towards humans. But she, as did most Animals, could more or less sense how a person truly felt, and if she felt like the Wizard was telling the truth…

Her face softened a bit. 'All right. If it's good enough for Nuki, I suppose it's good enough for me,' she finally conceded. 'But you still have a long, long way to go before you actually earn my trust.'

He looked utterly relieved. 'Thank you, Elphaba.'

She nodded and got up, suddenly feeling very tired. 'I'm going to go now. I'll… I'll be back later.'

He smiled faintly. 'I'd like that.'

She nodded again and left the room, locking the door behind her. She wasn't sure where this was going to lead, but she felt like they had just taken an important first step.

* * *

Glinda left shortly thereafter.

It was a painful goodbye to both Glinda and Elphaba, but they both knew it was also a necessary one, and it wouldn't be forever. They embraced each other.

'Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone,' Glinda warned, her voice thick with tears. Elphaba smiled with her face buried in the shorter girl's hair. 'Look who's talking. I'm not the one about to start ruling a country.'

'I wish you were,' Glinda told her truthfully. 'You would be a much better ruler than I can ever be.'

Elphaba shook her head. 'You'll be the best, Glinda. I said that to you before and I meant it. You can do so much good – you can do all I couldn't do.'

Glinda's blue eyes were filling up with tears once again. 'I wish you could be there with me.'

'I know,' Elphaba said with a rather sad smile. 'But I can't. You can do this, Glinda. I have faith in you. Just don't do anything stupid.'

'Like what?' Glinda asked, a bit offended. Elphaba chuckled. 'Like painting the Emerald City pink, for example.'

Glinda giggled. 'Perhaps I could paint _half _of the Emerald City pink and leave the other half green. Remember? Pink goes good with green!'

Elphaba smiled, squeezing the blonde's hand. 'It certainly does,' she agreed quietly.

They embraced each other again and then Glinda created her trademark bubble around herself. 'Goodbye, Elphie.'

'Only for now,' Elphaba said, fighting back the gathering tears. Glinda smiled and nodded. 'Only for now.'

Then she flew away. Within minutes, she was nothing more but a small dot in the distance.

* * *

Doctor Dillamond looked pleased when he was done examining her. 'Everything's looking good,' he told her. 'Your fever is down and your wounds are healing. You can start trying to put some weight on that fractured ankle – not too much, but just a little. That one is going to take some more time, as are those cracked ribs, but I'm very pleased. You heal very quickly, Miss Elphaba.'

'Does that mean I can leave?' she asked. Fiyero, who was standing not too far away, immediately spun around and asked, sounding alarmed, 'Leave? What do you mean, leave?'

'There are a few things that need to be settled,' she explained. 'I have to go see Master Gold. The sooner, the better.'

'Well, it's not going to be soon,' Doctor Dillamond told her sternly. 'I said you were _healing _– not that you are actually _healed_. You still need rest and there is absolutely no way that you are leaving here, young lady.'

Elphaba sighed. 'Well, when do you suppose I _can _leave?'

'In about a week, I think. Maybe more.'

She sighed again. 'Just _perfect_.'

The Goat smiled at her. 'Master Gold is still going to be there in a week, Miss Elphaba. Don't fret. Why don't you rest for a while? I myself am going to be very busy the next few days, but I'll ask Doctor Quork to check up on you every now and then.'

Elphaba nodded and Doctor Dillamond left the room. Fiyero was instantly at her side. 'You can't be serious about leaving.'

'Fiyero…' she tried, but he would have none of it. 'You almost died, for Oz's sake! Why don't you just take care of _yourself _for just a clock-tick and let the world worry about itself for a while?'

'Because I can't!' she snapped. 'I can't just sit around here and do nothing while I know there are people, not to mention Animals, out there who need my help! The Wizard and Morrible may be gone – sort of, anyway – and I know Glinda will be trying her best to make things right again, but that doesn't mean all of our problems are gone and it certainly doesn't mean we can just go around sitting on our bu-,' she quickly interrupted and corrected herself, '_behinds_ and doing nothing!'

'Fae.' He grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her. 'Stop it. Please. I understand – I know that you can't stand having to stand back when you know you can help.'

'Then why are you making me?' she demanded. He looked her in the eye. 'Because you have to help yourself before you can help others,' he answered. 'I'm not going to let you fly off as long as you're not fully healed.'

She glared at him, but finally gave in. 'Fine, then. But as soon as Doctor Dillamond says I can go, I will go. And I'll bear no contradiction.'

'Fine, then,' he mimicked her, earning him another glare. 'But I'll be coming with you. And I'll bear no contradiction.'

'Are you laughing at me?' she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes. He laughed and traced a finger down her bare arm. 'What if I am?'

'Hmm.' She snaked her arms around his neck and tilted her head a little, lips pursed as if seriously thinking about his question. 'I suppose I'd have to punish you.'

He grinned at her. 'In that case, I plead guilty.'

* * *

While Glinda the Good was floating towards the palace, the people below her on the streets stopped and cheered. 'It's Glinda! Glinda is back!' they rejoycified. Glinda smiled and waved at them as she continued to make her way towards the palace. Her bubble disappeared the instance her feet touched the front steps of the palace and she entered the large building on foot.

Everyone was smiling as they saw her, welcoming her, asking how her trip had been, and when she finally reached the peace and quiet of her room, a sigh of relief escaped from her lips. She wished that she could just put on some pyjamas and go to sleep, but unfortunately, she knew this day not to be over yet – in fact, it was only midmorning. She changed clothes, fixed her hair, planted her tiara on her blonde curls and took her wand in her left hand, and then she left her rooms again with a bubbly smile glued to her face.

She had some extremely dreary meetings with some extremely dreary people – the members of the Council among them – but by the time she went down for dinner, she was quite content with what she had achieved that day. The Council had agreed, after some persuasion on her side, to lift the Animal bans, and she had been filled in on what had happened in Oz during her absence. Fortunately, Oz seemed to fare quite well without their Wizard and there weren't too much problems going on – except for Munchkinland, which had just fallen apart into complete chaos. She had summoned another meeting with some of her advisors and the Ambassadors of the different parts of Oz and she had presented them her plans to deal with the trouble going on in Munchkinland. They were all enthusiastic about her ideas and they promised to help her carry out the plans, something that lifted another sorrow from her shoulders. All in all, it had been a tiring, but satisfying day.

After dinner, she went back to her rooms, planning on going to sleep right away. Someone up above there, however, didn't seem to want her to go to sleep at all today, because again something came up; she had almost reached her chambers when the Captain of the Guard came rushing towards her.

She suppressed a sigh. She really didn't feel like discussing anything with him right now – she just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. She forced herself to smile, however, as she asked, 'Captain. How can I help you?'

He was slightly out of breath, and panting, he said, 'Lady Glinda… I'm very sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I only just learned of your return and there are very pressing matters I need to discuss with you.'

She suppressed another sigh as she said apologetically, 'I'm really sorry, Captain, but you see, I'm very tired, and…'

'But Lady Glinda,' he interrupted, 'this is very, very important. This morning, one of my men was doing his round down at the dungeons, checking up on the prisoners, when he noticed something… out of the ordinary.'

'Oh, really? And what was that?' she asked, trying not to show her impatience and disinterest. Her thoughts had already travelled to what she would do once the Captain would leave her alone – a nice, hot bath sounded appealing.

'One of the prisoners has escaped, Lady Glinda.'

That caught her attention. 'What? How?' she asked, genuinely shocked. The palace dungeons were heavily guarded – how could someone possibly escape from them?

'We're not sure, Lady Glinda. It happened two days ago, at night. I sent my men out immediately, but they haven't found any sign of her yet.' He lowered his voice. 'It appears she has used magic, Lady Glinda.'

Glinda had frozen at the mention of the escaped prisoner being a woman, but when he started talking about the prisoner using magic, her face paled visibly and for a clock-tick, she thought she was about to faint. She didn't have any doubt now about the identity of the escaped prisoner, but she asked anyway.

'Captain… who was it?'

He looked troubled – about as troubled as she herself must look, she imagined. 'Lady Glinda…'

'Yes?'

'The name of the escaped prisoner is Morgana Morrible.'

* * *

**Dum dum dummm... Well I guess you kinda saw that coming, didn't you? So... The next chapter is ready, waiting for me to post it... But when will that be? ^^ Just wait and see...**


	10. Stubbornness Versus Stupidity

**AU: This chapter kinda ends with a cliffhanger, too. Heheh. Anyway, thanks for reviewing once again, I really appreciate it :).**

**Disclaimer: Don't wish, don't start...**

* * *

'No, Fiyero! I won't have any of it! You're staying here and that's the end of it!' she shouted at him, her anger getting the better of her. He, however, seemed to be just as annoyed with her as she was with him.

'If I'm not going, then you're not going either!'

'That's not fair!' she protested. 'Don't you see – I _have _to go, but you can't come with me!'

'And why is that?' Fiyero demanded. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself, before she could look him in the eye again. 'Because it might be dangerous.'

'That's all the more reason for me to come-'

'No. It's not.' She shook her head. 'I'm not going to put you at risk, Fiyero. You're staying here. Got it?'

'No, I don't,' he snapped, feeling frustrated. 'I'm a grown man, Elphaba. I can make my own decisions and right now I'm deciding to come with you.'

At that point, Maráni entered the room, looking slightly irritable. 'Are you done fighting? I could hear you yelling all the way across the caves!'

'We'll be done as soon as she accepts the fact that I'm coming with her,' Fiyero declared, at which Elphaba retorted, 'Which isn't going to happen anytime soon, so why don't _you _just give in and accept the fact that you're staying here?'

'Is _that _what this is all about?' Maráni shook her head in disbelief. 'I take it that Doctor Dillamond has given you permission to travel now?' she asked Elphaba. The green girl nodded. 'He still thinks it would be better if I would just stay here for some more time, but you know as well as I do, Maráni, that I have to go and see Master Gold. You know how important the Resistance still is, even with the Wizard no longer holding the reigns of Oz.'

Maráni nodded. 'I understand. And you don't want Fiyero to come with you?'

'I'm not putting him at risk,' Elphaba declared. Fiyero glared at her. 'You're not,' he countered. 'I'm putting _myself _at risk. Like I said, Fae, I make my own decisions.'

Elphaba turned towards Maráni. 'See? He will have none of it.'

The Wolf shook her head again. 'Fabala, I hate to break it to you, but… well, he's right.'

Fiyero gave his lover a triumphant look, which only worsened her already foul mood. 'You're not fully healed yet,' Maráni continued, 'and so I don't think it's a good idea for you to go wandering around Oz on your own. He should come with you.'

Elphaba growled. 'You're not much help today, Maráni.'

The Wolf smirked. 'I know.' Then her face grew serious again. 'But this is not what I came to talk to you about, actually. Fabala, have you spoken to Ordon yet?'

The witch shook her head. 'Not yet. Why?'

'He just came back from town,' Maráni told her with a faint smile. 'He told us there are changes going on in Oz. The Animal bans have been lifted.'

Elphaba's face immediately brightened and she resisted the urge to clap her hands with delight – perhaps she had spent too much time around Glinda after all. 'I knew she could do it!'

'There are things going on in Munchkinland as well – I believe our Glinda the Good has named a new Governor, a young Munchkin girl, who seems to be doing a very good job there.'

'I knew she would make me proud,' Elphaba said, beaming like a proud mother talking about her child. Maráni smiled and turned. 'I'm going to go and put my cubs to bed, so I'm warning you to keep quiet. If you keep my children awake with your yelling, I'm going to be forced to rip out your vocal cords,' she told them lightly, which, to be completely honest, made Fiyero rather nervous. He gulped and watched the retreating form of the Wolf. 'Would she actually do that?'

'Not to me,' Elphaba smirked, which didn't really make him feel any better.

'Just perfect,' he muttered. Then he glared at her. 'But Wolves threatening to rip out my vocal cords aren't going to stop me from arguing. I'm not going to let you fly off on your own.'

She sighed and then, to his surprise, she gave in. 'Fine, then,' she grumbled. 'But you're going to do exactly as I say, when I say it, understood?'

'Got it,' Fiyero confirmed, smirking a bit because of his victory. Elphaba glared at him. 'Don't look so smug. You may have won this battle, but the war isn't over yet, Fiyero Tiggular.'

He only laughed at that, pulling her close. 'So when will we leave?'

'Tomorrow morning,' she answered, pushing him away. 'So you'd better go get some sleep now. You don't want to doze off when you're sitting on a broomstick – it's a long way down.'

He shuddered at the thought of that. 'I most certainly don't. All right, then, I'll go to sleep – if you do, too.'

'I was planning to, anyway,' she told him, gesturing towards the pyjamas she was already wearing. She carefully sat herself down on the bed and he came to lie next to her. She snuggled closer to him and, using his chest as a pillow, she closed her eyes. Fiyero smiled at that, tugging at the blanket so that it covered her up to her chin, and he put his arm around her. Then he drifted off to sleep as well.

* * *

Elphaba woke up a few hours later, in the middle of the night. Fiyero was lying on his back, snoring lightly, and she carefully moved away as not to wake him. Silently, she got up, taking it easy with her right ankle, and she quickly dressed herself before looking back at the still sleeping Fiyero. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered, knowing he wouldn't hear her but feeling the need to say it all the same. 'But I can't put your life in danger any more than I already have.'

She hesitated for a moment before lightly brushing her lips across his temple. 'I'll be back, I promise,' she whispered softly. Then she left the room.

She moved purposefully through the network of caves until she came outside and she stood there for a moment, breathing in the cool night air. It had been weeks since she had been outside and she had missed it – she wasn't one to stay cooped up in the same place for too long. It was only then she realised that she didn't have her broom anymore – it must still be back at Kiamo Ko. She looked around for something else to fly on, until her gaze fell onto the wooden crutch she was still holding. She chortled softly at the thought, but since she couldn't think of anything better at such short notice, the crutch would have to do. She lay down the crutch and kneeled next to it. The spell to make things fly was one of the few spells from the Grimmerie she knew by heart.

'_Ahben Tahkay Ah Tum Entay Ditum Entayah_,' she whispered softly. For a few clock-ticks, it seemed like nothing happened; then the crutch came shuddering to life and she quickly grasped it before it would fly off on its own. She sat herself onto it and kicked off, disappearing into the night sky.

She hadn't realised how much she had missed flying until now. It felt amazing to soar above the clouds again, adrenaline rushing through her veins, the wind whipping her loose hair around her face, the feeling of freedom that came with it. She enjoyed the entire way, even though the journey didn't take that long – only an hour or two.

She landed in the hills just across Kumbricia's Pass, south of the Great Kells, where she knew another Resistance hideout to be. It was the hideout Master Gold preferred and she was almost certain she'd find him there. She dismounted and limped towards the hidden entrance of the hideout, pulling her cloak tighter around her to protect her from the cold. She knocked on one of the rock walls – a special pattern that told whoever was inside that it must be another Resistance member – and she waited patiently. After a few clock-ticks, the hidden door slowly swung open and she stepped inside.

'Welcome, Miss,' a gruff voice said to her. She smiled at the old man standing next to her. 'Good night, Rro. It's good to see you again.'

He merely huffed and went back to reading his book by candlelight without even really looking at her. She didn't expect him to recognise her – the hood of her cloak was still covering her face, and beside that, Rro didn't usually care who it was that entered the hideout. There were so many Resistance members breezing in and out every day that he couldn't keep track of them anyway.

Elphaba made her way through the caves – caves were _very _good hiding places for people who didn't wish to be found – until she reached what she knew to be Master Gold's chambers. The Resistance member guarding the doors didn't say anything, but merely looked at her. She cleared her throat. 'Please tell Master Gold that Miss Rose is here to see him,' she said, using the code name only the members of the inner circle of the Resistance knew. All the inner members, except for Master Gold himself, were named after a flower. She didn't have to think long about what hers would be. _I wasn't born for the rose and pearl._ She had liked the irony of it.

The guard looked at he as if she was crazy. 'Do you know what time it is?'

'I'm aware that it is the middle of the night, but I have very important matters to discuss with him.'

He snorted and clearly thought about it for a moment, but eventually he nodded. 'I'll see if he want to speak with you.' He disappeared through the door, which he left slightly open, and Elphaba could hear the conversation inside. 'I'm very sorry to disturb you, Master, but there's someone here to see you. She says it's important.'

'Well, who is she?' she heard Master Gold ask.

'She says her name is Miss Rose, Master.'

'Miss _Rose_?!' she heard him exclaim in genuine surprise. Then his voice became suspicious. 'No, that's impossible. Are you sure she's even a member of the Resistance? What does she look like?'

'I couldn't see,' the guard replied. 'She was wrapped up in a dark cloak. Do you think she's a spy, Master?'

'I'm not sure,' Master Gold said. 'Please show her in, but leave the door slightly open just in case. I'll be able to tell you in a clock-tick if she is who she claims to be.'

'Yes, Master.' The soldier came back and announced in a neutral voice, 'Master Gold will see you now,' but his slightly narrowed eyes and subtle body language told her he'd be ready to kill her as soon as Master Gold would give him any reason to. It didn't really bother her, though – she was used to it. He wouldn't be any good as a guard if he didn't act like this.

She entered the room. Master Gold was standing in the middle of it, shoulders straight, chin lifted, hands behind his back. He looked at her, his eyes also narrowed. 'Miss Rose, isn't it?'

'It is,' she answered, secretly enjoying herself as he narrowed his eyes even more. 'If you're a spy, you didn't do your research very well, since Miss Rose has been dead for weeks now.'

'Or so they say,' she replied, a mischievous glimmer in her eye. She could see him thinking. 'Would you care to remove your cloak, _Miss Rose_?'

She smiled at that and did as he asked. She heard him gasp in surprise as he saw who she really was. 'It _is _you!' he exclaimed, his professional attitude disappearing immediately when he pulled her into a big bear hug. She laughed. 'I'm disappointed, really,' she said when he let go of her again. 'I would have expected you to recognise my voice the instant I opened my mouth. Are we getting a bit rusty?'

He chuckled and, suddenly remembering, called out to the guard standing outside. 'You can close the door, it's really her!' Clock-ticks later, the door closed and Gold turned back to her. 'Sweet Oz, I can't believe it's really you.' He took her hands in his and eyed her up and down. 'Are you all right? How in Oz did you escape?'

'It's a long story,' she evaded the question, leaning on her crutch. Gold only seemed to notice it then. 'Elphaba… are you hurt?'

'I'm healing,' she told him truthfully. 'Which is why I couldn't contact you earlier – I'm sorry about that.'

'Where have you been? No one has heard from you in all this time!'

'At the palace,' she replied, chortling softly when he quirked an eyebrow at her. 'Glinda hid us in her chambers.' He nodded, being one of the very few Resistance members who knew about the connection between Elphaba and the Good Witch of the North. 'When I got worse, they transported me to the Great Kells. I've been staying with Maráni and the others ever since.'

'Sweet Oz,' he muttered, shaking his head. 'You said 'us'. Who else was with you?'

'Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus,' she told him, causing him to quirk his other eyebrow as well. 'The fellow you've been having a crush on ever since you left university?'

She blushed, but answered nonetheless, 'Yes, him. It appears the 'crush' was… well, mutual.' She smiled at the mere thought of Fiyero, which made Gold smile, too. 'I'm happy for you, Elphaba. Now, will you tell me what happened?'

She told him how she had managed to trick all of Oz into believing her to be dead – the short version, anyway – and what had happened ever since. He listened without interrupting. When she was done, he shook his head. 'Sweet Oz. It appears you've been busy even in presumed death.'

She snorted. 'Not as busy as I would have liked to be.'

He hid a smile. 'Of course. I assume they had to tie you down to the bed to make sure you'd get the rest you needed?'

She stuck out her tongue at him. 'Anyway, I came as soon as I could. With Glinda now ruling the country, I believe we have a few matters to discuss.'

'She's already lifted the Animal bans, hasn't she?' he said thoughtfully. 'It seems you were right about your friend – she truly wants to make things better.'

Elphaba nodded. 'She does. But that doesn't mean our work is done.'

'Of course not.' He tapped his chin with a pencil. 'And the Wizard? What do you plan to do about him?'

She shrugged. 'I think he's good where he is for the time being. He can't hurt anyone now, and I don't suppose he's a very big threat to us anymore, anyway. He seems sincere.' She thought about it for a moment. 'Morrible would be an entirely different matter, but she is safely locked up in the dungeons beneath the palace. No one ever escaped from there.'

'So she won't be a problem.' Gold sat down and she followed his example, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief – she was very tired, but she had been too stubborn to ask him if she could take a seat. He looked at her a bit suspiciously, but knowing her, he decided to let it slide. 'How long will you stay?'

She hesitated for a moment. 'I'd love to stay,' she said eventually, 'but… well… to be quite honest, I'd like to get back as soon as possible. I don't like leaving Fiyero behind. Besides, I kind of snuck out without telling anyone where I was going, and although I'm pretty sure they'll figure it out by themselves, I don't like keeping them waiting for too long. Knowing Fiyero, he'd probably be worried sick, no matter how many times I've told him I can take care of myself.'

Gold smiled. 'Very well, then. In that case, I suggest we discuss everything we need to discuss right now, so that you can depart again in the morning. How does that sound?'

She returned his smile. 'That sounds perfect, thank you.'

* * *

'She must be the most stubborn, foolhardy person I've _ever _met!' Fiyero declared as he stormed into the room. Maráni looked up from where she had been feeding her cubs, watching the raging man as he started pacing. 'You're only realising that just now?'

He grumbled. 'No. I should have known it – but still!'

'Let me guess,' Maráni sighed. 'She took off in the middle of the night without you.'

'I should have seen it coming!'

'You couldn't have prevented it if you had,' Maráni reminded him. 'You're right – she's the most stubborn person you'll ever meet in your life. One way or another, she would have left to see Master Gold without you. Just relax, Fiyero. She'll be fine.'

'Mommy!' One of Maráni's cubs – one she hadn't even noticed to be missing – came dashing into the room. 'Mommy, Mommy! You have to come outside right now!'

'What is it?' the Wolf asked in alarm, getting up. Fiyero stopped pacing and stared anxiously at the cub as well. 'Is it Elphaba?'

The cub shook its head. 'It's the other lady – the pretty blonde one! She says it's really important!'

'Glinda?!' Fiyero exclaimed. Maráni was instantly at her feet and ran outside, with Fiyero following close behind her. Outside, Glinda was talking to Doctor Dillamond, a worried look on her face – a look that was replaced by relief as soon as she saw Fiyero and Maráni. 'There you are, thank Oz!' She looked puzzled when she realised someone was missing. 'Wait… Where's Elphie?'

'She took off,' Fiyero grunted. Maráni quickly explained to Glinda what was going on. The blonde paled visibly. 'No! She can't – we have to get her back here right now!'

'What? Why?' Fiyero looked at Glinda closely, squinting. 'Glinda? What is going on?'

The blonde shook her head in despair. 'Oh Fiyero, it's horrible! She escaped! If she finds out Elphie is still alive, she'll kill her!'

Fiyero grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her a bit too fiercely. '_Who_, Glinda?' he demanded. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. 'Madam Morrible!'

* * *

'So I guess that's it, then?' Elphaba asked.

Master Gold nodded. 'I suppose so, yes. I'll make the arrangements to carry out the plans – you don't have to worry about anything. Just go back to your prince now and enjoy some carefree time,' he winked. 'You deserve it.'

She smiled. 'I'll do that, then. Thanks again.'

'No, thank _you,_' he told her sincerely. 'And, Elphaba?'

She turned to face him. 'Yes?'

'I'm really glad you're not dead.'

She smirked. 'So am I.' He walked up to her and embraced her for a moment, before pulling back again. 'How did you get here?'

A pained expression crossed her face. 'I'd love to say 'by broom', but I didn't have one back at the hideout and so I had to improvise. The truthful answer would be 'by crutch'.'

He quirked an eyebrow, looking at the crutch she was holding, and chuckled. 'I must admit, it won't do your reputation any good. I've never seen a witch fly on a crutch before.' He chuckled again. 'Or perhaps you're setting a new trend.'

She shot him a look, which only made him laugh harder. 'Oh, Elphaba, I'm just teasing you, you know that. Have a safe journey back – and please visit again whenever you get the chance, all right?'

'Of course.' She embraced him once again; then she left the room, leaning on her crutch, and made her way outside. She looked around, but there was no one to be seen, and so she whispered a few words to activate the flying spell once more and she mounted, flying off in the direction of the Great Kells.

* * *

Morgana Morrible was walking through Kumbricia's Pass, mulling over the future – she had no idea what she was going to do next. The Wicked Witch was dead, she herself had been exposed as a traitor, the Wizard was gone… all of Oz hated her now, and she had nowhere to go. Should she find herself a small home and live the rest of her life in peace? Should she leave Oz and build a new life? Should she try to bring down Glinda the Good and reclaim her position at the top of the government? She wanted nothing more badly than that, but she didn't have the slightest idea how to accomplish it. No one would listen to her now.

She stopped for a moment, tired of walking, and gazed up at the night sky. It was a bright night and she could see several stars blinking at her. The moon was almost full, she observed. A full moon was the perfect condition for certain spells she'd love to try out once. She remembered a spell from the Grimmerie that granted the caster immortality – she had wanted to try that one for years, but the circumstances for it had to be exactly right, and those circumstances had never presented themselves before. A full moon was only one of them – there was also something about the planets being in one line, and the spell would have to be cast from a mountain top covered in fog, and there were certain rituals going with it. She remembered all of it, having learned the conditions of the spell as well as the spell itself by heart just in case she might need it sometime. Oh, how wonderful that would be – no one would be able to kill or hurt her, she would be able to violently force her way to the top and rule Oz for the rest of eternity, not ever dying…

She was shaken from her daydream by a shadow flying past in the night sky. She blinked and squinted a bit to see what it had been. At first she thought it to be a bat, but then she saw that it looked more like a flying stick… a broom, perhaps… with someone on top of it. She recognised the curtain of black hair trailing behind the person, waving in the wind, and even without the tiny glimpse of green skin she caught, she would have known the identity of the person flying up there. Not many people could fly on an enchanted broomstick.

Slowly, the corners of her mouth turned upward in a fiendish grin. Perhaps the tables were finally turning.

* * *

**So the next chapter will be mostly Elphiyero fluff. Because I love Elphiyero and I love fluff. But it appears it will end with another cliffhanger once again - I just can't resist them ^^.**


	11. Everything That I Am

**AU: Muahahaha, I love to keep you guys dangling on cliffhangers! **

**...**

**No, to be quite honest, I don't. Every time I post a chapter ending with a cliffhanger, I have to fight the urge to post the next chapter right away - I guess I do hate cliffhangers just as much as you do. That didn't prevent me from ending this chapter with another one, though - sorry in advance. The next chapter will be up soon, though. Promise.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

_And I will love you_

_Until you learn_

_to love yourself_

* * *

The moment Elphaba's feet touched the ground, Fiyero practically jumped her, throwing his arms around her and holding her so tightly she could barely breathe. He buried his face in her hair and he heard him whisper, more to himself than to anyone else, 'Thank Oz, you're okay,' over and over again. He only let go when she yelped, 'Fiyero. Cracked ribs. Ouch.'

She stepped back a bit and blinked at him. 'All right, I know I took off in the middle of the night without telling you, but I thought you were smart enough to figure out where I had gone.'

'He was,' Maráni, who was standing not far away, told her, since Fiyero didn't seem to be able to speak – he was clasping her hand as if he was afraid she would vanish the moment he let go. 'He didn't like it, of course, and he worried, anyway, but… something came up.'

'I was so scared that she might have found you,' Fiyero said softly, putting his arms around her waist from behind and holding her close against his chest. She let her head rest against his shoulder in reply, and asked softly, 'Who?'

'Fabala…' Maráni came closer, an unusual solemn look in her eyes. 'Glinda came by while you were gone. Morrible has escaped from prison.'

Elphaba's body suddenly went very cold. '_What_?'

'That's why we were so worried,' explained the Wolf briefly. 'She doesn't have the Grimmerie, but she still has magic, and she's extremely powerful. We don't know if she knows you are still alive, but if she does…'

'She'll come after me.' She wasn't really asking a question – merely stating a fact. 'And she won't stop until she kills me – for real this time.'

She felt Fiyero's grip tighten around her, but she herself felt remarkably calm, pushing the thoughts and feelings away for now. 'One thing will be different, though.' She turned around to face Fiyero. 'This time, I won't let her drag any of you into this. If she _does _know and she _does _come after me, it'll be between her and me. No one else involved.'

'But she'll kill you, Fabala,' Maráni protested. 'Your magic may be powerful, but she has so much more experience than you do – you'd never survive!'

Elphaba shrugged. 'If that's the case, then so be it. But if I'm going down, then she's going down with me.'

'Elphaba, no!' She looked at Fiyero and she could see the despair in his eyes. 'Please don't talk like that,' he said quietly, his voice breaking. 'You make it sound like you don't care if you live or die.'

'Of course I care.' And she meant it, too. 'Can we talk about this later?' she asked, suddenly feeling exhausted. She had barely slept that night and she had been going over Resistance plans with Master Gold all morning – she really, _really _didn't want to talk about this right now. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep until all of this was over.

Fiyero nodded, concern showing in his sapphire eyes. 'Of course.' He led her inside, his arm still around her waist, and she tried to ignore the pricking feeling of Maráni's eyes burning in her back as the Wolf watched them go.

* * *

Elphaba knew Fiyero wouldn't let the subject slide, despite his earlier words, and she turned out to be right. 'Do you really not care?' he asked when they were sitting together on a thick rug by the fireplace in their bedroom.

She looked at him. 'I meant what I said earlier. I do care. I just care more about _you _living or dying than I do about myself. I want you to be safe, Fiyero, no matter what. That means that if Morrible knows about us being alive, I'll have to kill her, or she'll kill me first and come after you next. And if killing her, and thus saving you, means sacrificing myself in the process, then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.'

He looked sad, defeated. 'The most awful part is that I know that you meant every word you just said.'

'Of course I do!' she replied suddenly hot-headed. 'I _love _you, Fiyero!'

'I know that!' he shouted, just as agitated. 'But you often seem to forget that I love _you _as well, and if living means living without you, then I don't want to live! You _are _my life!'

She fell silent at that, not knowing what to say – a very uncommon thing for her – and as she looked up at him, he saw disbelief and hope fighting for supremacy in her eyes, before she quickly lowered them. He felt almost hurt, that she still didn't seem convinced of his love for her, but then again – she was… well… she. He couldn't blame her, after what she had been through all her life. Never had anyone truly loved her, truly cared for her, and she still didn't believe that he actually did.

He shifted a bit closer towards her and caught her chin, tilting her head slightly so she had to look him in the eye. 'I love you,' he told her, stretching and emphasising every word and looking straight into her beautiful dark eyes to convince her that he was telling the truth. 'You, Fae, are my everything. And I can honestly tell you that my life won't be worth living if you're not in it.'

'Why?' she whispered, turning away and fixing her gaze on the fire so she wouldn't have to look at him. 'What's there to love about me?'

He pulled her into his arms and forced her once again to look at him. 'Everything,' he told her sincerely. 'I love everything about you. I love your extraordinary intelligence and the way you can be so absorbed in a book that you don't have an eye for anything else happening around you. I love your sarcastic and witty remarks. I love the way you smile and the way you laugh, even – or perhaps especially – if you're laughing at me. I love how beautiful you are, on the inside as well as on the outside. I love your temper because you look so astoundingly cute when you're angry. I love the way you're looking at me right now, that look that says you want to believe what I'm saying, but you don't – which besides adorable is also extremely frustrating to me, but still. I love everything about you, Elphaba, all the way from here,' he put his finger on the crown of her head and started sliding it down her face, her neck, her side and her leg, until he had reached her foot and briefly tickled her toes, 'to there.'

He could see in her eyes how badly she wanted to believe him, but he could also see that she still didn't. He bent his head a bit to kiss her in a final, desperate attempt to convince her, and she kissed him back, sliding her arms around his neck. 'We're going to get through this,' he told her, brushing her cheek with his lips. 'No matter how bad things get, we'll get through them. Together.'

'But Morrible…'

'Morrible is not an exception to that.'

She looked up at him for a moment before lowering her eyes again and saying softly, 'I'm just so afraid she will be.'

'Elphaba…' He gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 'It's okay to be scared, you know. Especially after everything the woman's put you through. You don't have to be brave all the time, you don't have to pretend not to be affected by it when you so clearly are. Anyone would be scared right now, Fae. Anyone.'

'I'm not anyone,' she said softly, but he felt her body starting to tremble and when he wrapped his arms around her even tighter, she buried her face in his shoulder and started crying. He'd almost never seen her cry, and when she did cry, she usually stuck with a few silent, dignified tears. Now, however, she was really _crying; _she didn't restrain herself any longer and she was sobbing, crying for everything that had went wrong in her life, for everyone she'd lost, clinging to his shirt as if she was never going to let go again. He held her close to his chest, softly rubbing her back in a soothing manner, whispering all the while that she was going to be okay, that he was here with her, that he would never leave her alone, and meaning every single word.

She cried for a long time, but finally, the sobs started to fade away only to be replaced by a soft whimpering that almost made him cry, too, it sounded so helpless. He cradled her against him and rested his chin on her hair until she calmed down some more.

'I'm sorry,' she finally sniffed, pulling back a little to wipe the tears from her face. He planted a kiss on her hair. 'Don't be.'

She was still shivering and he fetched a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around them both before gently urging her to lie down. He lay down next to her, putting his arms around her once more, their foreheads touching. 'Are you okay now?'

She moved even closer towards him, closing her eyes for a moment. 'Yero, I… I'm scared.'

He didn't think she'd ever admitted that to someone before in her life, probably not even to herself. 'I know. But I'm with you, Fae. I'll always be with you, whether you'd like that or not.'

She smiled and admitted quietly, 'I would like that.'

He returned her smile. 'I was hoping you would.' Their lips touched, and he pulled her as close to him as he possibly could without crushing her. He moved his head a little, leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, and she wrapped her arms tightly around him and sighed happily. He kissed her nose once before returning to her lips, and when they finally broke apart, they were both rather breathless. 'I love you,' she whispered, meaning every word, and he smiled against her lips. 'I love you, too. I meant everything I said earlier, Fae. I love everything about you.'

'I still don't see how that's possible,' she whispered, and he felt her smile as she slowly kissed him again. 'But I'm really glad you do.'

* * *

She woke up in his arms around dinnertime, feeling safe and warm and happy for the first time in a long time. She smiled, closing her eyes again with every intention to go back to sleep, when she felt his lips touching her neck. 'Good morning, beautiful.'

Her smile broadened as he kissed her nose. 'Good evening, you mean.'

He shrugged. 'Whatever.' She closed her eyes again as he pressed his lips in her hair and murmured, 'Do you want to get up?'

She snuggled closer to him with a content sigh. 'Nah. I'm good.'

They lay like that for a while in silence, not feeling the need to say anything. He was fidgeting with her hair a bit absent-mindedly, curling strands of it around his finger. 'Did you plan on staying here? At the hideout, I mean?' he finally asked.

She shook her head against his chest. 'No. It has been wonderful to see Maráni again, and Nuki, and Doctor Dillamond, and everyone, really – but this isn't my home anymore. Besides, with Morrible on the loose, my mere presence here would put them all in danger and I would never want to be responsible for that.'

'They're staying here?' Fiyero asked, somewhat surprised, lifting his head from the floor so that he could look at her. 'I'd think that with the Animal bans gone…'

'The bans are gone, but that doesn't mean the people will accept Animals living among them,' Elphaba reminded him, rolling over so that she was lying on her stomach propped up on her elbows. 'Most Ozians are still having difficulties adjusting to the way Glinda is changing everything, and until the commotion dies down, most of them will be staying here.'

Fiyero nodded. 'I can understand that.' Lost in thought, he lightly slid his finger down her spine, smiling when he felt her shiver in response. She rolled over again, trapping his finger underneath her and smirking at him. He grinned back and started to tickle her, which made her double over with laughter, trying to stop him, but he was much stronger than she was. It was the first time since – well, since Shiz, actually – that he had heard her laugh, really, genuinely laugh, and he smiled. 'Do you surrender?'

'Never!' she gasped and he started tickling her again mercilessly until she finally cried out, 'All right, all right! I surrender! Please stop!'

He trapped her underneath him, pinning her arms to her side and looking down at her. She was still laughing and he lowered his lips to hers for a soft, sweet kiss.

'Why did you ask?' she asked him when he pulled back again. He looked at her in confusion. 'What?'

'If I was planning on staying here,' she clarified. 'Why did you ask? Did you have somewhere you needed to be?'

He hesitated for a moment. 'Well, I don't really _need _to be there, but… well… I'd like to visit my parents,' he said. 'Let them know I'm still alive. They still believe I died, you know, and… I think they deserve to know the truth.'

She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'Were you also planning on telling them you're in love with the Wicked Witch of the West?'

'I don't like you referring to yourself like that,' he told her rather sternly. 'You're not wicked at all.'

'But I am a witch. And technically, I'm in the west, too,' she quipped, causing him to threateningly waggle his fingers near her sides. 'Did you want me to tickle you to death?'

She laughed and kissed his nose. 'Only if it makes you happy.'

He grinned at her and caressed her cheek with his fingers. 'But yes, I was indeed planning on telling them about you. I want you to meet them.'

She choked. 'Excuse me?'

'You heard me. I think they'll believe me when I tell them the rumours about you weren't true – I think they'll accept you.'

'You _think_?' she quipped. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'Well, yes. I can't guarantee anything, of course, but…' He shrugged and she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down so that his face was mere centimetres from hers. 'If that's what you want,' she told him, 'then that's what we'll do. I'll be happy anywhere, as long as I'm with you.'

He smiled. 'Did I ever mention you being amazing?'

She pretended to think about that. 'No, I don't think I can recall you saying that,' she said with a mock frown. He chuckled and bent down to whisper in her ear, 'You're amazing.'

'So are you,' she whispered back, before he kissed her again.

* * *

'Oh, my. I believe the tables are _actually _turning,' Morrible whispered to herself, barely daring to believe what she was reading.

The book that had caught her interest was one about astronomy. She wasn't usually interested in those kinds of things – she preferred sorcery – but now, she needed this knowledge to _perform _a certain kind of sorcery.

Ever since she had seen Elphaba Thropp – at least, she was convinced that it had been her – she had been brooding on her final master plan. And it seemed that the Unnamed God was with her, because it appeared, as she read in the book, that certain conditions for a certain immortality spell would be exactly right within a few days from now.

_If I can gain immortality_, she reasoned, _even Elphaba won't be able to defeat me this time. No one will be able to defeat me. I will be invincible – I will murder everyone who gets in my way. I'll be the final ruler of Oz and everyone will bow for me for the rest of my life – which will be forever, since I will be immortal. _She tried to suppress a grin, but failed. She was just too excited. Finally, _finally _she would get what she wanted, what she needed, what she deserved.

Three days from now, the planets would be in one line at a full moon, and she would be on the highest mountain top to deliver the spell.

She smiled as she put the book back and left the small shop. She couldn't wait.

* * *

'You shouldn't go.'

Elphaba glared at him. 'You may be my,' she still choked on the word 'father', so she just said, 'my _you-know-what_, but I'm a grown woman. I can make my own decisions. And right now I'm deciding to go.'

'I don't mean to tell you what to do,' Oscar said. 'I just wish you'd stay here for the time being. You of all people know how dangerous Morrible can be.'

'Which is exactly why I have to go,' she explained. 'She still has her magic, and she knows quite a few spells. She might be able to track me if I stay around here for too long.'

He nodded slowly. 'I hadn't thought of that. You will be careful, won't you?'

She smirked at him. 'You know me. A little, anyway.'

'My point exactly,' he said drily. She decided to let that comment pass and went on, 'You'll be staying here at the hideout for the time being. I'll have them assign you a room – a decent one, I mean, with a bed and a fireplace and things like that. I think you've earned yourself that by now.'

He gave her a genuine smile. 'Thank you, Elphaba.'

'But if you even so much as _think _about running away,' she threatened, 'you're a dead man. And that might just be taken literally.' She would never do that, of course – she merely wanted to make a point.

His smile didn't vanish. 'I won't run away. I promise.'

'Good. Maráni, Nuki and the others will be keeping an eye on you for me.' She thought about the journey to Fiyero's parents for a moment, before she said, 'I'm not sure for how long I will be gone, but I promise I'll be back.'

'You don't have to come back for me,' he said, sounding a bit resigned. She shook her head. 'I'm coming back for Nuki and the others, not just for you.' Then she smiled at him – perhaps the first genuine smile she had ever given him. 'But I do think I'd like to see you again, too.' She got up. 'I'll let you know when we leave, all right?' She didn't wait for an answer, but left the room without further comment.

They decided to travel on foot rather than by broomstick – or… crutch - to minimise the chance at being recognised. Two people flying through the air would definitely be something the people would remember, and they wanted to leave as few traces as humanly possible. Elphaba said her goodbyes to Oscar and to her Animal friends, promising them she'd be visiting again shortly, and Fiyero thanked them solemnly for their help.

Then they left, soon disappearing in the mist that surrounded the Great Kells.

* * *

Morgana Morrible was standing on the snow-covered top of a mountain, almost invisible thanks to the thick fog. She was gazing up at the sky, watching the moon as it slowly rose to its rightful place. She waited until midnight exactly before kneeling in the snow, using a magic wand she had bought in the village she had passed through earlier to write down the magical symbols she needed. She started chanting in a melodious, ringing voice that echoed through the mountains. '_Ah Tum Akele Dah Tay Patines Noctum Soy…'_

* * *

**So, Morrible and an immortality spell - not the greatest combination, if you ask me, but a very interesting one nonetheless, right? ^^ The more reviews, the sooner I'll update! (No, not really - I'm just tricking you into reviewing. Like I said, I can't stand cliffhangers myself and so I'll probably update soon, reviews or not, but I would still really, really love for you to review :3.)**


	12. I'm Gonna Getcha

**AU: Currently listening to Willemijn Verkaik's very first Defying Gravity from her premiere at Broadway yesterday. Absolutely amazing. I so wish I could see her there - go and do it if you get the chance. **

**So another tiny-whiny bit of fluff... but not Elphiyero fluff ^^. Well, not _only _Elphiyero fluff, anyway. Plus some rather interesting developments on Morrible's part - that horrible hag.**

**Disclaimer: Still saving money to be able to buy the rights someday. Until then, not mine.**

* * *

Glinda the Good was standing in front of her giant window, staring outside without really seeing anything. She was worried about Elphie. She had wanted to stay at the Animal hideout until her friend came back, so that she could see for herself that Elphie was all right, but Maráni had sent her away, knowing the blonde had many other things to do. The Wolf had promised to look after Elphie, and so had Fiyero, but she wanted to be there for her friend herself and she felt awful about not being able to do that.

She opened the big glass doors leading to the balcony and stepped outside. The City was glowing green – a sight that only reminded her of her friend even more. She sighed and just went to go back inside when a small Blackbird landed on the edge of the balcony, clearly out of breath. 'Are you Lady Glinda?'

The blonde girl looked at the Bird questioningly. 'Yes?'

'Maráni sent me,' the Blackbird told her, panting a little. 'She knew you much you would worry about Elphaba and she told me to tell you that she is all right – Elphaba, that is, not Maráni.'

A wave of relief washed over her. 'Elphie came back?'

The Bird nodded. 'She has returned safely. She and Fiyero left the hideout this morning to go and see his family.'

Glinda who, being his former fiancée, knew Fiyero's family, nodded, reassured. 'They're amazing people – I'm sure Fiyero and Elphie will be safe with them. Thank you for telling me.'

'You are very welcome.' The Blackbird wiggled its feathers. 'Well, then I guess I'll better get going again. Goodbye, Lady Glinda.' Then it flew off towards the City.

Glinda went inside again, feeling much better already. She changed into one of her more formal gowns and, feeling ready to face the rest of the day, she left for her study to meet Ozians in need of her help.

Hours passed as she gave advice and support and bubbly and reassuring smiles to everyone coming to see her until she felt like she would burst if she would hear one more 'Thank you, your Goodness'. A servant came in to announce her final guest and she suppressed a tortured moan. 'Lady Glinda? Master Tinman is here to see you – again,' he added a bit sarcastically. Glinda brightened a bit. 'Of course! Send him in.'

She knew why he had came to see her – _again_, as the servant had said. He had requested several audiences with her over the past few weeks, begging her over and over again to try and reverse the spell that had turned him to tin in the first place, and she hadn't been able to help him. She had been feeling awful about it. After his last audience with her, however, she had studied the Grimmerie in search of a spell that could help him, and after hours of searching, she had found one. She wasn't sure it would work, but she thought it was at least worth a try.

She smiled her bubbly smile when he came in. 'Master Tinman, hello! It's good to see you!'

He looked a bit taken aback. She couldn't blame him – she wasn't usually this jumpy when he came to see her, but she was very happy she'd found a way to help him. 'I have good news for you!'

She saw hope lighting up his tin face. 'You…'

'Yes!' She clapped her hands with delight. Then she opened a drawer and pulled out the Grimmerie, flipping through the pages. She barely gave him time to say anything, anything at all, before she started chanting. '_Ahma Eleka Dah Tay So Tay Raz Nahmen Tum Ay_!'

A bright white flash lit up the room, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she gasped. Her spell had worked, but that wasn't even why she was so shocked. The reason for that was that she knew the human being that was now standing in front of her.

'_Boq_?!' she squealed. He looked at his hand and arms in awe, clearly not believing his eyes. 'It worked! Glinda, it worked!' Before she knew it, he was enveloping her in a big hug. 'Thank you! Thank you so much!'

'_Boq_?!' she repeated, not able to think of anything else to say. He merely shrugged. 'Yes, it's me. Don't worry about not recognising me – I didn't imagine you would. No one did.'

She felt dumbstruck. The Scarecrow had been Fiyero. The Tinman had been Boq. _Where does that leave the Lion? A still alive Nessarose in disguise, or something? _She felt really stupid for not recognising them, even though they didn't blame her.

'Boq,' she said a third time, and he looked at her. 'You know? I think this has been the first time you got my name right – and that three times in a row.'

She was blushing furiously, but she ignored his comment. 'What happened?'

His face darkened. 'The Wicked Witches happened,' he snarled. 'Elphaba and Nessarose Thropp. They did this to me!'

Glinda could not believe that her best friend would do such a thing to poor innocent Boq and she immediately decided the green girl must have had a good reason to do it. 'Listen, Boq… I don't know about Nessa, but Elphie would _never _do such a thing unless she had a really good reason to.' She saw the sceptic look on his face and emphasised, 'I _knew _her, Boq.' She had been going to say 'I _know _her', but she swallowed those words just in time. 'She was my best friend. She was a good person.' She didn't care if Elphie didn't want her to clear her name or not. Boq had been a friend back at Shiz and she wanted at least _him _to know the truth. She resolved that she was going to ask Elphaba about this the next time she saw her.

Boq smiled a bit sadly. 'I don't think you really did know her, Glinda. She was wicked, and so was her sister.'

Glinda shook her head. 'Never mind that,' she said, letting the subject slide for now. 'I mean… you're back to normal!'

His face immediately brightened again. 'I know!' He hugged her again, making her just a bit uncomfortable, but she let him – he had a good reason to be this happy, after all. 'Thank you _so _much!'

'Don't mention it,' she said, waving one hand in the air. 'I'm glad I could help.'

'No, really,' he insisted. 'I want to do something in return for you. Can I help you in any way? With your duties, perhaps? You _are _the ruler of Oz now, after all – I'd imagine you need all the help you can get.'

She slumped down in her chair. 'Well, yes, to be quite honest, you're right about that. It's just so tiring, meeting all these people, being responsible for everyone…' She rubbed her temples and sighed. 'And the smiling. Smiling and waving, all the time. Everything feels so fake and no one even seems to notice.'

He gently touched her hand. 'I noticed. That's why I asked in the first place.'

She smiled wearily. 'Thanks, Boq. I appreciate it.' Suddenly, she got an idea. 'If you really want to help… would you mind staying with me for now? I have this dinner in about an hour with this Ambassador, the most dreary man you'll _ever _meet in your entire life, and I could use some company – if only to keep me awake for the time being.'

He laughed and touched her hand again. 'Of course. I'll be there.'

'Thank you.' She got up and crossed the room to get to the door. 'I'm going to change for dinner. You just wait here – I'll be ready in a clock-tick.'

He smiled at her. 'I'll be waiting, Lady Glinda.'

'Please,' she called over her shoulder while breezing out of the room. 'Call me Glinda!'

* * *

'This looks like a decent place to spend the night,' Fiyero decided, looking around the clearing they were in. Elphaba nodded. 'As good a place as any. At least it's a bit shielded so that any potential passer-by's won't be able to see us.'

Fiyero spread a blanket on the floor and started unpacking some food from one of the bags. 'Are you hungry?'

'Not really,' she conceded, settling herself on the blanket next to him. He looked at her rather critically. 'Do you _ever _eat? I could count your ribs if I wanted to – you look like a walking skeleton, you're so skinny!'

'Why, thank you, love,' she replied drily, which made him smile. 'Don't worry. You are still the most beautiful walking skeleton I've ever seen.'

She rolled her eyes and poked his abdomen. 'Well, some of us should eat a little more, and some of us should eat a little less, right?' she teased him. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his body, of course – he had a slim and muscular figure any other man would be jealous of. Still, she couldn't resist teasing him a bit.

He stiffened in the middle of his movements. 'Am I getting fat?'

She chuckled, picked up a piece of dry meat and fed it to him. 'I bet you couldn't get fat if you wanted to.'

'Thank Oz,' he breathed, causing her to elbow him in the stomach. 'You vain creature.'

He smiled and offered her some bread, which she refused. 'As I said, I'm not hungry.'

'And as _I _said, you're starting to get way too thin.'

'I can't eat when I'm nervous.'

'Then are you always nervous?'

She glared at him. 'Don't you think I've had reason to, for the past few weeks?'

He immediately became serious again. 'You're right. I'm sorry. But I still think you should eat something.'

She let out an exaggerated sigh, picked up an apple and took a bite. 'There. Happy now?'

He grinned at her. 'Very.'

She laughed and they ate for a while in content silence. He went to gather some berries from the bushes surrounding the clearing and he dangled them above her face, causing her to have to tilt her head backwards to catch them in her mouth. He chuckled. 'We could pose for one of Glinda's favourite love stories like this.'

Elphaba giggled, swallowed the berries and planted a kiss on his lips. 'She used to read those to me back at Shiz, despite – or maybe even because of – the fact that I kept telling her I _hated _love stories.'

He nuzzled her cheek. 'Did you?'

'Not really,' she admitted quietly. 'I always pretended not to listen, burying my nose in one of my own books to make it look convincing, but I _was _listening. I secretly dreamed of living such a love story myself, but I never thought anyone could ever love me and so I simply accepted it as something that would happen to other girls, but not to me.' She fell silent for a while, before softly adding, 'Not in my wildest dreamings could I have imagined that it would, one day.'

He wrapped his arms around her and was about to say something when suddenly a voice behind them said, 'Oh! That's _so _sweet!'

Elphaba spun around, releasing her magic in a reflex before she even realised what she was doing. The small creature behind her gave a screech and jumped out of the way just in time – the stream of magic destroyed a tree instead. Elphaba drew in her breath with a sharp hiss when he recognised the Animal. 'Nuki!' she yelled. 'Do you have a death wish or something?!'

'I didn't think you'd _kill _anyone who merely surprised you!' the small Cat shrieked, her tail thick and every hair on her body upright with fear.

'I thought you were Morrible!' Elphaba shouted back. Her whole body was trembling now that the shock had worn off – she had nearly killed one of her best friends!

Fiyero rubbed her back in a soothing manner. 'Ssh, Fae, it's okay. You didn't hurt her.' He looked at the Cat a bit uncertain. 'She didn't, did she?'

'Just a heart attack is all,' Nuki replied grumbling, visibly trying to calm herself. 'I'm fine.' Now she looked a bit guilt-stricken. 'And I guess I maybe even deserved it for sneaking up on you like that.'

Fiyero quirked an eyebrow. 'Why _did _you sneak up on us like that?'

'Does Maráni know you're here?' Elphaba demanded. She was still very tense, but she forced herself to calm down. Fiyero was right – she didn't hurt Nuki and that was the most important thing right now.

'I left a note for her,' Nuki answered Elphaba's question first. 'I knew she would never let me go if I asked her to.'

'I wonder why that would be,' Elphaba said sarcastically. Nuki grinned at her before growing serious again. 'I just… well…' She shifted a bit uncomfortably before blurting out, 'I just really missed you since you left, and I didn't want to have to miss you again, so I came with you.'

Elphaba was silent for a moment; then she knelt down next to the Cat, picked her up and cradled her against her chest. 'I know, Nuki,' she whispered. 'I missed you too. And I'd love for you to come with me, but…'

'Fae.' She looked up at Fiyero, who had been watching them. 'You can't send her back. We've been travelling for days already – certainly you wouldn't want her to go on such a journey back all by herself?' He winked at Nuki, who gave him a grateful smile.

Elphaba sighed, knowing she couldn't argue with that. 'Fine, then. You can come with us. Just… please don't ever scare me like that ever again.'

Nuki shivered involuntarily at the mere thought of what could have happened. 'Oh, trust me. I won't.'

'Where have you _been _all this time, anyway?'

'In one of your bags,' the Cat replied proudly. 'The one with most of the food and water in it – most of which is gone, by the way. Sorry about that, but hey, I had to eat, right?'

Elphaba shook her head in disbelief and Fiyero made a face. 'I should say you've been hanging around Elphaba for too long. She's starting to rub off on you.'

'I just raised her to be extremely smart and creative,' Elphaba defended herself, laughing. 'Nothing wrong with that. I would be proud of you, Nuki, if it weren't for your extreme disobedience.'

The small Cat beamed and Fiyero rolled his eyes. 'Shall we go to sleep now?' he suggested, being tired himself and imagining Elphaba to be, too. She smiled at him and nodded. 'It's getting dark, anyway. If we go to sleep now, we can rise early tomorrow morning to take off again.'

They settled for the night, lying next to each other on the blanket on the floor with another blanket covering them. Nuki made herself comfortable at Elphaba's feet, closing her orange eyes and drifting off to sleep within clock-ticks. Elphaba curled up on her side and closed her eyes, too. It had been a tiring day and she was hovering on the edge of sleep when Fiyero suddenly whispered, 'Elphaba?'

Eyes still closed, she murmured, 'Hmm?'

It was silent for a while and she almost drifted off to sleep again when she heard him ask uncertainly, 'Are you _sure_ I'm not getting fat?'

* * *

'You see?' Morrible hissed, pointing at the prince, the Cat and the green girl, sitting on a blanket in a clearing in the woods. 'Didn't I tell you?'

The village people started muttering incredulously to one another, but they knew their eyes weren't deceiving them. Right in front of them was the Wicked Witch of the West and she was very much alive.

'We should kill her,' one of the men snarled, pricking his pitchfork in the air. 'We should kill her right here and now!'

The murmuring of the people grew louder, but Morrible got them silent again with one glance. Although she didn't show it, she was very pleased with her progress. The people had been sceptic at first, of course – they all recognised their former Press Secretary and they all knew about her betrayal and her fall from grace – but they couldn't deny what they were seeing. With that, she suddenly had them following her around again like a herd of sheep.

'No,' she said, her voice low, but dangerous. 'Not now. We should wait. Wait until we can get her alone. As soon as that Winkie prince leaves her side…'

'Should we kill him, too?' another man asked. Morrible thought about that for a clock-tick before dismissing it with a hand gesture. 'Do whatever pleases you. I don't care what happens to him.'

'So we just hang around here until the boy leaves so we can kill the Witch?' a woman asked. Morrible shook her head. 'Only the men will be here waiting with me for our chance to attack,' she said. 'You, my ladies, have more important matters to attend to.' She fixed her gaze upon the women, her eyes piercing. 'Venture out into every village near this place and tell them about this. Make sure they tell everyone else about this. Spread the word through all of Oz – tell everyone the Wicked Witch is still alive!'

* * *

'Have we got everything?' asked Elphaba, flinging a bag over her shoulder and leaning on her crutch. Fiyero, without saying anything, gently pulled the bag off her shoulder again and flung it over his own. She let out an irritable sigh, but didn't protest – she knew he liked to be a gentleman to her, especially now that she had been hurt, and so she let him.

He flashed her a smile. 'I guess so.' Nuki jumped on his shoulder and said cheerfully, 'I'm ready!'

They left the clearing, wandering into the still dark forest again. The sun hadn't even risen yet, but they had all been up early – even Fiyero, much to everyone's surprise – and so they had decided they might as well leave. They'd still have to cover quite a distance before they'd reach Adurin Iir, the castle Fiyero's parents were currently living in.

'How many castles do you _have_?' Elphaba had asked him, lifting her eyebrows, as he had told her about it. He had had to think about that question, much to his embarrassment – it made him feel all the more like a spoiled rich boy. 'Uhm… There's Kiamo Ko, and Adurin Iir… then we have the summer castle I can't ever remember the name of… there's the castle my grandparents are living in right now – although I do believe they'll be visiting my parents at Adurin Iir this time of the year… About five, I guess? Could be six, though – I'm not sure.'

She had stared at him for a moment before bursting out in laughter, and she had been teasing him with it ever since. It did sound quite obnoxious, he had to acknowledge – but the castles had been in his family for years and he usually didn't even think about the fact that maybe other people didn't own six castles.

They walked in silence most of the way, him and Elphaba, although Nuki spent quite a bit of the road chattering about one thing or another, clearly excited to be going on this adventure with them. It was nearly noon when they stopped for a quick lunch.

'Now you're hungry, right?' he asked suspiciously, eyeing Elphaba up and down. 'I mean, we've been walking all morning and you didn't have a decent breakfast, either. You _have _to be hungry. Please tell me you're hungry.'

She chuckled – she knew he would keep worrying about her being too thin and she found it quite amusing. She wasn't even lying when she told him, 'Yes, I'm hungry. Starving, even.'

He looked relieved. 'Good! You can go ahead and unpack some of the food – I'm going to fetch a few of those berries I saw not far away from here. I'll be back in a few minutes.'

'Don't rush.' She fed Nuki some dried meat and stuck a slice of bread in her own mouth before opening any of the other packs. Nuki crawled into one of the bags, making herself comfortable and closing her eyes. 'If you're looking for me, I'm taking a nap.'

She smiled and ate a few grapes as she waited for Fiyero to come back. Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound behind her and she spun, immediately on guard, but she had never in a million lifetimes expected to see what she was seeing right now.

It was Morrible. She wasn't wearing her usual make-up or elaborate gowns, but it was unmistakeably her. Her cold, snake-like eyes were blazing and she was not alone – behind her was a fairly large group of men with pitchforks, torches and sticks, looking rather murderously at her. Morrible smiled – a cold, meaningful smile that sent shivers down Elphaba's spine. 'Why, my dear gentlemen,' she said, addressing the men standing behind her but keeping her gaze fixed on the green girl in front of her, 'it seems like we finally caught our Wicked Witch. And this time,' her gaze intensified and Elphaba suppressed another shiver, 'she will _not _escape. This time…' She let her voice trail away on purpose, a rather dramatic effect to emphasise her next words – completely unnecessary, but effective nonetheless. 'This time she _will _die,' Morrible finished in a threateningly low voice, almost a whisper.

Elphaba whirled around and released her magic in the direction of the former Press Secretary, knocking down the witch hunters around her, but the woman herself didn't even blink. 'Is that all you can do?'

The green girl snarled and released another wave of magic, equally useless. What was happening? She knew Morrible was still stronger than her, but _her _magic was strong, too – she should at least be able to knock the woman down, especially since Morrible didn't do anything at all to defend herself. She reached into one of the bags, clutching her fingers around a knife. In one swift movement, she pulled it out and threw it at Morrible. It hit the older woman in the chest, but strangely, she didn't seem affected by it at all.

The woman examined the knife with feigned interest. 'Oh, my. Isn't that interesting?' She pulled it out and Elphaba watched in horror as the wound healed immediately, not leaving so much as a scratch. What had _happened _since she last saw Morrible?

She knew she couldn't go anywhere – not without Fiyero, anyway, and she had no idea where he was. She was trapped. She spun around, noticing the men to be slowly surrounding her, blocking her every way out of this hopeless situation. Morrible was watching her with a wicked smile. 'You don't have your man or your broom, dearie. There's no way you can get away now.'

Elphaba felt hopeless. _What could she do?_ Finally, she just opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs, 'Fiyero!'

* * *

**...Yes. I know. Now that I have gotten the taste for cliffhangers, I can't seem to stop. Heheh. Please boo! ^^**


	13. Frei Und Schwerelos

**AN: Thank you so much for the reviews!**

**EvilLoveTriangle: No, I'm not going to give this one a happy ending. I'm going to have Morrible capture everyone and then I'm going to let her kill Glinda and Fiyero right before Elphie's eyes before slowly torturing Elphaba to death. Then Morrible takes over Oz and plunges it into misery. I believe I mentioned before my being just the tiniest bit sadistic ^^.**

**To make it up to you: no cliffhanger this time. Yay for me.**

**Virtual cookies to anyone who recognises the title and tells me where it came from - without looking it up. It might just be the case that everyone recognises it instantly, since I'm not sure how much German you guys know, but well - if that's the case, everyone just receives those virtual cookies.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not that girl.**

* * *

Glinda sighed, pushing aside the papers that were lying in front of her before burying her face in her arms, her forehead resting on the table beneath them. She closed her eyes for a moment. When had her life become like this? she wondered. When had her life been drained from everything even remotely fun and become so serious, so gloomy, so… _depressing_?

All right, so not everything was depressing, she told herself sternly. Fiyero and Elphaba were alive, which was wonderful. And she had been able to help Boq. But what had she gotten in return? The most dangerous criminal that had ever existed was now on the loose and although she knew it not to be true, it felt like Oz was constantly hovering on the edge of disaster, depending on her to set things right again. Only she had no idea how to do that.

'You all right?' She looked up to find Boq in the doorway, and she managed a tired smile. 'Yeah. Sure. Come in.'

He approached her, eyeing her sympathetically. 'Rough day?'

'You have no idea,' she moaned, letting her head fall on her arms again. He came to stand behind her, gently rubbing her shoulders and neck. 'Do you have many more things to do today?'

She sighed with content as she felt him slowly massaging the tension from her body. 'Unfortunately, yes. There's this appointment I have with a few representatives from the Ozian press, not to mention this horrendible stack of letters I still have to go through…'

'Why don't you let me do it for you?' he offered, still rubbing her back. 'I know about your plans, so I can answer the questions from the press, and I'll help you with those letters, if you want me to.'

That lifted her spirits a bit. 'Really? You'd do that for me?'

'Glinda, I'd do anything for you,' he told her sincerely, reminding her of the time she had encouraged him to ask Nessarose to the dance at Shiz. A pang of guilt shot through her, but she ignored it. She had made mistakes when she was younger, but there was nothing she could do about that now.

It was only then that the full extent of his words sunk in and she turned to face him. She regretted that movement when he had to stop his back massage because of it, but she needed to know. 'Boq? Are you still in love with me?'

He actually blushed, avoiding her gaze. 'I… uhm…'

'Be honest,' she told him sternly, and he sighed and reluctantly conceded, 'All right, yes. I never stopped loving you.'

She almost felt like cooing, 'That's so sweet!' but she wasn't really sure how she felt about it and so she just kept her mouth shut. She thought about it for a moment. She had always been fond of him – just not in the way he had wanted her to be. How did she feel about him now? She still thought he was very sweet, and caring, and he was obviously utterly devoted to her. Back then, she hadn't even given him a chance, mostly because he had just been an ordinary Munchkin. Now, however, she knew better than to judge people by their status and wealth. Perhaps she _should _give him a chance.

'How do you feel about a date?' she asked suddenly, causing him to choke. 'Are you serious?'

'Yes.' She gave it another thought, but decided that it was a good idea. 'Just a date. No strings attached. We'll have dinner, talk a bit, get to know each other better – things like that. No touching. No kissing. No declarations of eternal love. Just a date.'

He was beaming with delight by now and in an impulse, he kissed her cheek. 'I would love that so very much!'

'What did I just say about not kissing?' she told him sternly, but she couldn't hold her composure and she smiled at him. 'So it's a date, then. I hope you don't mind it being tomorrow, though – I'm really, really tired and I really don't feel like going out tonight anymore. I wish I could just head straight to bed.'

'My offer still stands,' he told her, getting back to rubbing her shoulders, which made her squeal with delight. 'Oh Boq, I couldn't possibly…'

'I'd be happy doing it. I kind of like this ruler-of-Oz stuff,' he conceded. 'I really don't mind.'

This time, it was her turn to kiss _him _on the cheek. 'Thank you so very, very much. You're my hero.'

He beamed even more at that, grinning almost literally from ear to ear. 'You, my dearest Glinda, are so very, very welcome.'

* * *

Fiyero was just heading back towards Elphaba with his arms full of berries when he heard her scream. He immediately dropped the berries, alarmed. She didn't scream. He had never heard her scream before, except when she had been burning up with fever - but she never _consciously_ screamed. She would yell, snarl, growl, yelp, snap, shout or cry – although she didn't spend much time doing the latter, either – but she never screamed. She just didn't.

That was why he immediately started running, trying not to think of what exactly he might find when he got to her. It had to be Morrible, no doubt about that, but what could that old hag have done to her to make her scream like that? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

He came to a halt, slipping, when he saw people. Witch hunters. They were surrounding her at all sides, pitchforks and other weapons ready, Morrible standing in front of them with an utterly satisfied and rather smug look on her face. He noticed Nuki on Elphaba's shoulders, eyes wide and tail thick with terror, as she dug her nails in the green girl's skin and hissed at the woman across from them, since there wasn't much else the small Cat could do.

He caught her gaze and as soon as she saw him, a faint smile played around the corners of her mouth. It left him somewhat confused, but then her eyes briefly flickered towards the crutch she was leaning on, and he understood. She had her flying crutch – she could get out of there. He nodded and decided the best chance she had of escaping would be for him to distract them – even though she was probably going to kill him for it later, if she got the chance.

He started jumping up and down, yelling, 'Hey, you bunch of cowards! Feel like real heroes now, needing twenty of you to capture a single girl?'

The witch hunters turned around and he saw Elphaba's eyes widen in shock, but he didn't care. The men's attention was directed at him now, and he yelled at her, 'Elphaba, go!'

She hesitated only a second before jumping on her crutch and hurling herself up into the air. Fiyero watched in awe as she hovered above the witch hunters, just out of their reach. Morrible did definitely _not _look happy with this development; she shouted at the men, but there wasn't really anything they could do. A few of them now started towards Fiyero and he turned around and started running.

A glimpse over his shoulder told him that Elphaba was manoeuvring her improvised broom through the trees, coming after him. She landed about a stone's throw in front of him. 'Get on!' she shouted at him, and he didn't hesitate – he ran towards her and climbed onto the crutch, clinging to Elphaba as she kicked off and they flew away, out of Morrible's reach for now.

* * *

Fiyero kept quiet, but he knew she was brooding. She had been suppressing her anger in order to focus on steering the crutch and making their escape successful. Now, however, they were high up in the air and relatively safe, and he knew she would start hurling her frustrations at him any minute now. It was only a matter of time.

Nuki, who was still seated on Elphaba's shoulders, caught his anxious look and, interpreting it the right way, bent forward to peer at the green girl's face for a moment. When she turned back at Fiyero, her eyebrows were lifted meaningfully. 'Oh, my,' the little Cat said, a bit smug. 'Looks like you're in trou-ble!'

He shot her a dark look. 'I had figured that much, thank you,' he grunted.

It was only clock-ticks later that Elphaba finally burst.

'Idiot!' she scolded him, her voice dangerously low. She started mimicking him. '"You bunch of cowards!" What were you thinking? Were you thinking at all?'

Her impression of his accent was quite good, he had to admit. She turned around for a second to look at him, eyes blazing. 'Are you absolutely crazy? You could have gotten yourself killed!'

He started to say something, but she cut him off. 'Don't start. I know why you did it – I just didn't _want _you to do it. I had a plan, for Oz's sake, and you nearly blew it.'

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I didn't know that. When I heard you scream, I thought…' He let his voice trail away, and she softened a bit. 'I only did that to get your attention. I needed to know for certain where you were so that I could pick you up with the crutch. You nearly gave me a heart attack when you started yelling at them – and what was that "Elphaba, go!" all about?' she continued, her anger flaring up again at the thought of that. 'I hope you didn't mean by that what I think you meant. Because if you were actually trying to tell me to take off on my own and leave you there, I'm afraid I'm going to have to punch you in the face.'

'For trying to save you?' he protested, and she shot him a look. 'For being incredibly stupid – even more so than usual.'

'I would've been able to manage on my own,' he objected. 'If that had been your only chance to escape, you should have left me there.'

She shot him another look, one so venomous that he would have recoiled if that had been possible. 'Oh yes, of course,' she snarled, voice dripping with sarcasm. 'We all know how extremely well _that _turned out last time I did that, don't we? Remember that? Something to do with cornfields, Scarecrows and – oh, yes – _you being tortured_?!'

He was aware of the despair that had crept into her voice, and he gently said, 'Elphaba.' She looked at him, trying to maintain her angry façade, but not able to conceal the all-consuming fear behind it. He tightened his grip around her waist, resting his cheek against her back and closing his eyes for a moment. 'I'm sorry,' he whispered.

She didn't say anything for a while, and he started to think he had really pissed her off this time and she didn't want to talk to him anymore. 'Fae?' he asked cautiously. 'I really am sorry. I never meant to put you through all that again,' he said, referring to her desperate and guilt-stricken state when she had been left alone, thinking that he had been tortured to death. 'I just… I couldn't think about anything else but saving you.'

She made a choked sound. 'Please don't.'

He looked up in surprise, although all he could see was the back of her head, since she had to watch where she was flying. 'Don't what?'

'Don't be so sweet,' she grumbled over her shoulder. 'You're making it very hard for me to stay angry with you. Worse, even; you're being so sweet that you're nearly making me cry now, and besides the fact that I absolutely loathe crying, I also can't see anything when I'm crying, so unless you want to bump into a bird or a mountain top, I suggest you keep quiet until we're safely on the ground again.'

He chuckled and hugged her from behind. 'I love you.'

'Shut up.'

He merely smiled. 'All right.'

She sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but he knew her better than that. She leaned back a bit and he rested his chin on her shoulder. 'What did I ever do to deserve you?' she asked him.

He smiled again and kissed her cheek, since her lips were just out of reach. 'Exist.'

Glinda had been sitting in her chambers, drinking tea and feeling more relaxed than she ever had since she had become the new ruler of Oz, when Boq came rushing in. 'Glinda!'

'Boq?' She set her cup of tea on the small table and looked at him questioningly. 'Is something wrong?'

He shook his head, then nodded. 'Well… I'm not sure yet,' he conceded eventually. 'But… well… I was talking to those press people, and they asked me some questions about your plans for the future of Oz and things like that – I could answer them all perfectly fine, by the way, you don't have to worry about that, but… well… They asked me this question then, and… I'm not sure if there's any reason at all to be alarmed, but I just thought you should know… They asked me if I could confirm or deny the rumours that have apparently been circulating lately. Rather persistent rumours, apparently. Rumours… rumours about the Wicked Witch of the West still being alive.'

She was suddenly thankful that she wasn't holding the cup of tea anymore, because she was sure she would have dropped it, had it still been in her hands. '_What_?'

'They say there's a bunch of witch hunters heading towards the City right now, men and women who have seen her with their own eyes. As I said, I don't know if any of it is true, but…'

'Morrible,' the blonde hissed, surprising even herself with the venom in her voice – she had always considered herself a fairly forgiving person, but towards Morrible, she couldn't feel anything but utter hatred.

Boq had stepped back a little, equally shocked by the violent reaction Glinda had displayed. 'Glinda? Are you all right?'

She shook her head. 'I'm fine, really, I'm just…' She buried her face in her hands, trying to compose herself. 'I should have seen this coming.'

'Seen _what _coming?' he demanded, a little harsher than he had intended, being worried sick now because of the strange behaviour of the blonde girl. He knelt beside her chair and took her hands. 'Glinda, what in Oz is going on?'

She looked him in the eye and she decided to tell him everything. Well, not _everything_; she wouldn't tell him about Elphie and Fiyero still being alive – not yet, anyway. But she would tell him the truth about her best friend. She needed all the help she could get right now, and she felt like she could trust him.

She took a deep breath. 'Boq… I think there are a few things you should know I haven't told you about before. It's time for you to learn the truth about something. Better sit down – this is going to be a long story.'

* * *

'I still don't understand how that was possible. That knife should have wounded her, if not killed her, and yet she pulled it out and she was just… fine! As if nothing had happened!' Elphaba exclaimed, pacing up and down. They had landed in the woods some time ago, having discovered a small cave to spend the night, but Elphaba clearly didn't feel like resting at all. He could imagine everything that was going on in her head right now, now that the first shock had worn off and she started thinking about everything. Knowing her, she would continue this for some time, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

'Do you mind standing still for a moment so I can check on you?' Fiyero asked, a little frustrated. She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. 'I'm fine.'

'You always say that.'

'It's true this time – they didn't even touch me.' She started pacing again and he watched her a bit wearily. 'You know, all that pacing won't do your ankle any good.'

'Shut up.' She just kept going, muttering under her breath. 'She must have used some sort of spell – that's the only explanation. But what kind of spell? And how long will it last?'

'Fae?'

She looked up, a bit disturbed. 'Hmm?'

'What are we going to do now?'

She shrugged. 'To see your family by flying broo-… crutch, I mean, I suppose.'

'Isn't that dangerous?'

She looked at him. 'Well, the reasons I had before for not flying are not really valid anymore, since they now know I'm still alive. There's no need to be sneaky about it anymore and we'll get to your parents faster if we fly. People might see us, but they can't get to us unless they sprout wings themselves – which I don't think to be very likely.' Her face suddenly grew uncertain. 'That _isn't _likely, right? Or do you think Morrible would cast a spell on them to make that happen? To make them fly so they can–'

'Fae.' He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. 'Don't do this. I know you're scared, but now you're being just a bit paranoid.'

'Am I?' She turned to face him, and the fire in her eyes almost made him recoil. 'She is _invincible_, Fiyero. At this very moment, I consider her capable of anything – anything at all.'

'You're right,' he admitted, and she started pacing once again. He watched her. 'Doesn't it bother you?'

Again, she stopped to shot him a look – an incredulous one this time. 'No, I'm wearing a ditch in the floor just for fun,' she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. He shook his head. 'I can see _Morrible_'s bothering you, obviously, but I meant the hunters. She clearly told everyone you're still alive. Soon all of Oz will know. Doesn't _that _bother you?'

Still pacing, she dismissed it with a vague hand gesture, having – in her opinion – much more pressing matters on her mind. 'I've never been that much of a people person anyway.'

'I'm not joking, Elphaba.'

'Neither am I.' Not even slowing down, she glanced up at the sky. Although it was just after noon, the moon was still faintly visible in the clear blue sky. _It must have been full not too many nights ago,_ she thought absent-mindedly, turning around on her heels and striding in the opposite direction.

Then it suddenly dawned on her, and she froze in the middle of her movements, eyes wide, gasping. 'She _didn't_!'

'Fae?' Fiyero was next to her in a clock-tick, all concern – as usual. 'What's wrong?'

'She did that spell!' the green girl cried out, staring at the moon wide-eyed. 'The planets in one line, a full moon – all she had to do was remember the spell from the Grimmerie and find the right spot, and she… Sweet Oz,' she breathed. 'If _that's _what she did, I'm in even more trouble than I could have ever imagined.' She was about to start pacing again, but Fiyero caught her arm, pulling her towards him. 'Elphaba. You're scaring me. Will you please tell me what's going on?'

'There's a spell in the Grimmerie,' she explained, her mind raging. 'An immortality spell. It makes the person that casts it invincible – they can't be hurt and they can't be killed. There are certain conditions that have to be met for it – conditions that are met only once in, like, a hundred years.' She took a deep breath. 'I think those conditions were met a few nights ago.'

Fiyero's eyes widened as he realised what that meant. 'Morrible…'

She merely nodded and he asked, a bit reluctantly, as if he feared the answer, 'How long does it last?'

She locked eyes with him. 'For eternity,' she told him solemnly, 'or until the person who cast it, casts a counter spell.'

'And it's not possible for anyone else to cast that counter spell?' he asked, his heart sinking. She shook her head and bit her lower lip – something she tended to do when she was really nervous about something. He caught her chin and, cupping her face with both hands, forced her to look at him. 'Hey.' He used his thumb to wipe away a single tear that threatened to fall out of the corner of her eye. 'It'll be all right, Fae.' He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. 'Everything will be all right.'

'How?' she asked, her voice breaking. His grip tightened just a bit. 'I'm not sure yet,' he told her honestly. 'But I'm certain it will. I'll be here for you, Fae. No matter what.'

She looked up at him and, upon seeing the determination in his eyes, crushed herself against his chest, closing her eyes. They stood like that for a moment, neither one of them moving; then she reluctantly pulled away. 'We should find something to eat while the sun is still up.' They had been forced to leave their bags behind with Morrible, so they had nothing left but the crutch and the clothes they were wearing.

Fiyero nodded earnestly and kissed the top of her head. 'You can go and lie down for a moment. I'll go find something to eat.'

'Don't bother,' a new voice said, making them both jump. Elphaba narrowed her eyes at Nuki, who was standing behind them. 'What did I tell you about not scaring me to death anymore?'

The Cat grimaced. 'Sorry. But hey, at least you didn't try to kill me this time.'

Elphaba glowered at her and the Cat smirked. 'Perhaps this makes up for me scaring you?' she offered, stepping away so that Fiyero and Elphaba could see the stack of food behind her. The green girl's eyes widened. 'Where did you get that?'

Nuki shrugged. 'I figured the two of you could use some time alone, so I snuck off in search of food. This forest happens to be containing lots of fruit trees and bushes – lucky us. I also found a creek to drink from. I thought about catching you some fish for a moment, but since I didn't think you'd be willing to light a fire to roast them since that would inevitably draw attention, I decided against it.'

Elphaba wrapped the Cat in her arms and hugged her tightly. 'You're a gem, Nuki.'

The small tortoiseshell flashed her a radiant smile. 'I learned from the best.'


	14. Meet The Parents (And The Sisters)

**AN: Virtual cookies for Wicked4Life (I expected nothing less from you, knowing you to be a Willemijn Verkaik-fan ;) ), ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness & Fae the Queen. Hurray!**

**TazmaniaLizard: Sweet Oz, do you read minds? This happens to be just the chapter where I decided to reveal Elphie's age (the age I imagine her to be in this story, anyway) – and I did that _before _I read your review. Guess what? I wrote in this chapter that she's twenty-four. Isn't that creepy? **

**I share your opinion, by the way – I haven't even read the book (shame on me?) although I do know quite a bit about it because of all the fanfics I read.**

**Your review also made me think, and I decided to just ask you guys: what should I do with Gloq? Get them together and live happily ever after? Leave them as friends? Kill them? :P **

**(Speaking of killing people: EvilLoveTriangle, I can assure you I was perfectly serious about killing everyone. **

**All right, no, I was not. Or was I? You'll just have to keep reading, not to mention reviewing, to find out :3.)**

* * *

'Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?'

Fiyero looked at her – she was biting her lip. 'Hey. There's nothing to worry about, I promise,' he said, taking her hands in his and squeezing them. 'My parents won't bite. My sisters might, but only if you try to tickle them for too long.' He made a face, clearly speaking from experience, and Elphaba chuckled. Nuki settled herself on the green girl's shoulder once more. 'And if they _do _bite,' the Cat added with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, 'so do I.'

Elphaba took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. 'All right, then. Let's get this over with.'

Fiyero bantered towards the door, assuming an authoritative attitude, and looked down on the guards – even though they were merely centimetres smaller than he was. The guards, however, didn't seem impressed. 'Name?'

Fiyero gave them a look that made them both shift uncomfortably, but they didn't budge. 'Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, you idiots. You have eyes – try using them.'

The guards nearly choked when they recognised their prince. 'Sweet Oz, your Highness, we're so sorry!' one of them pleaded. 'Please come in – your companion, too.'

Fiyero gently took Elphaba's arm – she was wearing a cloak and gloves to conceal her green skin – and led her inside. 'Sorry about that,' he said, looking a bit sheepish. 'But the guards here… well, they're a bunch of tough guys with really bad manners, so you have to show them their place every now and then.'

Elphaba gave him an impish smile. 'I think it's kind of sexy when you behave like that,' she teased him, and he rolled his eyes. He looked around the great hall. They're probably sitting in the library,' he mumbled, more to himself than to her. Elphaba, however, immediately brightened. 'You've got a library here?'

He nodded. 'A real nice one, actually – it's very cosy, with a fireplace and a sitting area… My parents and sisters can usually be found there.' He led the way, passing through endless corridors and hallways. Much to the Cat's dismay, they decided to drop off Nuki in Fiyero's bedroom – this would be difficult enough without her possibly making it worse. Fiyero then lead Elphaba back through some corridors before holding still in front of a thick wooden door. He looked at her. 'Ready?'

She swallowed and nodded, although a bit reluctantly. 'Ready.'

He opened the door and stepped inside, with Elphaba close behind him. His parents were indeed sitting there; the green girl eyed them curiously and decided they didn't look too bad. His father was a big man, even taller than Fiyero himself, and he was quite handsome – Fiyero looked a lot like him, she noticed. His mother was also tall, but slender and graceful, with long blonde curls tumbling over her shoulders, reminding her a bit of Glinda.

'Mom? Dad?' he said, and his parents' heads immediately jerked up as if they had heard a voice from the dead – which, Elphaba realised, was actually kind of the case, since they had been believing their son to be dead for months now.

'Fi- Fiyero?' his mother stammered, and his father jumped up and eyed his son up and down eagerly, as if he really, really wanted to believe that it was his son in front of him, but wasn't yet ready to. Fiyero couldn't help but grin as he bowed formally. 'Mother. Father.'

His father was apparently convinced, because he enveloped Fiyero in the biggest bear hug ever. 'Sweet Oz, Fiyero! It is you!'

His mother was with them in a clock-tick, wrapping her arms around her son and crying against his shoulder, not letting him go for several minutes. He shushed her and rubbed her back in a soothing manner. 'It's all right, Mom, really. I'm alive. I'm here.'

'Are you all right?' his father asked, and Fiyero nodded and smiled at Elphaba as he held out his hand to her invitingly. 'Thanks to Elphaba, I am.'

She was blushing now – thank Oz the hood was still covering her face so that no one would see it. Fiyero's father took her gloved hand and kissed it. 'Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.'

She smiled, even though they couldn't see that, either. 'It was self-preservation, really,' she said, squeezing Fiyero's hand. 'I could never have lived without him.'

The Queen's eyes filled up with tears again. 'Oh, my,' she said, shaking her head. 'Not only is our Fiyero alive, he has found love as well!'

'And not even a silly, giggling Gillikinese girl, but a real woman, too,' his father added, grinning at his son. 'Seems like you've grown up after all.'

Fiyero huffed in response, but then he grew serious again. 'Mom, Dad… May I introduce you to the love of my life, Elphaba Thropp.'

She curtsied the King and Queen smiled at her. 'It's lovely to meet you, Elphaba,' the King said. 'But may I ask why you're wearing gloves and a cloak inside?'

Fiyero looked at them both solemnly. 'There's something you need to know about Elphaba,' he said. 'Please don't… don't judge her right away. She is who you think she is, but she isn't _what _you think she is.'

'Son, you're only making it worse,' his father told him. 'Just tell us what you want to tell us. What do we need to know about Elphaba?'

Fiyero looked at her and she took a deep breath, removing her hood and pulling off her gloves. The King and Queen just stared at her in awe for a moment.

'My,' the King said finally, breaking the rather awkward silence. 'When I heard people talking about the Wicked Witch of the West, I always imagined her to be… well… an ugly old hag. No offense,' he quickly added after his wife nudged him not too gently between the ribs.

Elphaba couldn't help but smirk at that. 'You're not the only one, I can assure you. And just in case you're thinking that I actually _am _an old hag who casts spells on herself to keep herself young, that's not true either. I was born in Munchkinland only twenty-four years ago.'

The King chuckled. 'Good to have that cleared up, although that was certainly not the first thing coming to my mind.'

'Just avoiding any misunderstandings in advance,' she told him, which made the King chuckle again. The Queen looked at Elphaba. 'I don't mean to be rude, my dear, but Fiyero… you _do _have some explaining to do.'

'Well, yes, of course,' he agreed. His parents sat down again and he made himself comfortable in the loveseat, pulling Elphaba down beside him. 'First things first: they may call her the Wicked Witch, but she's not wicked.'

'I can see that,' his father said drily.

'She's also green…'

'Yes, I had noticed that, too.'

His wife punched him in the ribs. 'Can't you just behave for once?' She looked apologetically at Elphaba. 'I'm sorry. You can see where Fiyero got his bad manners from.'

'Hey!' Fiyero protested, but Elphaba merely smirked and kissed his cheek. 'Nothing personal, love.'

He grumbled, but continued anyway. 'So… uhm… yes. Elphaba. She's green because… well…' He looked at Elphaba, not sure if she would want him to tell his parents about her connection with the Wizard, but she explained it to them herself. 'I was born as the eldest daughter of the former Governor of Munchkinland, but my real father is the former Wizard of Oz, although I only found that out recently myself. His miracle elixir is the cause of my green skin – I was born like this.'

Fiyero nodded. 'As she said, she was the eldest daughter of the Governor, but her younger sister Nessarose inherited that position when the Governor died. We went to Shiz together and Elphaba got in sorcery class…'

'So the witch part is true, then?' the King interrupted. The Queen shushed him again, but Elphaba smiled at him to let him know he hadn't insulted her. 'Yes, as a matter of fact, it is.'

'She was such an excellent sorcery student that the Wizard himself requested for her to come see him,' Fiyero told them proudly, and Elphaba muttered under her breath, 'Don't exaggerate.'

'She went to the Emerald City,' he went on, pretending not to hear her, 'along with her roommate and best friend, who also happened to be my girlfriend at the moment, Galinda Upland.'

Elphaba winced at the mention of the girlfriend part and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. His parents nodded. 'You mentioned her in one of your letters, yes.'

'I recall him mentioning a green-skinned girl once, too,' his mother suddenly remembered. She looked at them and narrowed her eyes. 'Wait a clock-tick. Fiyero? Is this the girl you rescued that Lion cub with?'

His face turned beet red. 'Uhm… yes.'

'How do they know about that?' Elphaba whispered to him, also flushing, but Fiyero's mother heard her and she laughed. 'Oh, Elphaba, that was the longest letter we've ever received from him. He wrote page after page about what had happened, and about you – _especially _about you.'

'He did?' Elphaba was astonished. She knew that had been the day that _she _had fallen in love with _him_, but she never thought it had been the other way around, as well. Fiyero avoided her gaze. 'Well… yeah,' he mumbled. 'I, uhm… That was the day I fell in love with you. Even though you didn't seem to feel the same way back then…'

'I did,' she told him, amazed that both of them had been so blind at the time. 'That was the day I fell in love with you, too.'

The Queen dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. 'Oh, my. This is better than all the romance stories in our library!'

Fiyero shot her a look and decided it would be safest to just continue his story. 'Anyway, Galinda Upland, as I was saying, later became famous under the name of Glinda the Good.'

'Wait a minute,' his father interrupted him once again. 'You're trying to tell me that Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West are friends?'

'She's _not _wicked,' Fiyero protested. Elphaba rolled her eyes at him and answered the King, 'Yes. Best friends, actually.'

'Go on,' the Queen encouraged her son, shooting a warning look at her husband.

'Well, the Wizard was very impressed by Elphaba, but they had this… well… misunderstanding.'

'That was most definitely _not _a misunderstanding!' Elphaba interrupted him, her temper flaring up once again. Fiyero sighed a bit irritably. 'Are you guys going to keep interrupting me?'

'He was responsible for everything that had happened to the Animals!' Elphaba went on, probably not even hearing him. 'He had them maimed and murdered, and he robbed them of their speech! There was nothing to misunderstand about that!'

'Fine, fine,' Fiyero recoiled. 'No misunderstanding. She found out he was evil, and she refused to work with him.'

'And he declared her a Wicked Witch?' his father guessed. Fiyero nodded. 'Yeah. Glinda stayed, because she's… well… Glinda.' The corners of Elphaba's mouth turned slightly upwards when he said that. 'She had always wanted to be loved by the people, and she couldn't ignore the call of popularity, so to speak. So she stayed and became Glinda the Good, while Elphaba flew off and started working with the Resistance to save the Animals.'

'We met again years later, when she was freeing the Flying Monkeys the Wizard had held captive. I caught her doing so – I was Captain of the Guard back then. And then, well… I went with her.'

'Morrible then used my sister to get to me,' Elphaba took over. 'She murdered Nessa, and when I got to her, unfortunately too late for me to be able to save, they caught me again. Fiyero saved me, but he…' She bit her lower lip and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him. 'They were planning on torturing me to death,' he said simply, making Elphaba wince again. 'She saved me with a spell.'

'So that was what the letter was about,' the Queen said softly, connecting the dots. 'They thought you had died, but because of that spell, you didn't.'

Fiyero nodded. 'Elphaba tricked everyone into believing her to be dead, so that I could come fetch her and we could leave Oz together. We hadn't accounted for Morrible to figure out what was going on and coming after her before I could get to her. That awful old hag almost succeeded in killing Elphaba.'

'She survived, though,' the King pointed out, earning him another glare from his wife. 'You, my dear, have the most annoying tendency to point out the obvious.'

He shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin much similar to the one Fiyero sometimes gave Elphaba. 'It's a gift.'

Fiyero briefly explained what had happened after Morrible got to Elphaba and how they had ended up here. 'So, now you know everything,' he finally finished. 'The short version of 'everything', but still everything.'

He and Elphaba waited anxiously for their reaction. The King merely nodded, lost in thought, and the Queen smiled. 'Well, Elphaba,' she said, getting up and taking the green girl's hands in hers, before hugging her. 'Welcome to the family.'

* * *

Fiyero's sisters turned out to be a bit more difficult to persuade.

They were very happy to see their brother again, that much was clear; they practically jumped him, screaming and crying and jumping up and down with excitement. When they saw Elphaba, however, they recoiled a bit.

There were two of them, both quite a bit younger than Fiyero was; the eldest, nineteen-year-old Rayenna, seemed cautious at first, but when Elphaba complimented the younger girl admiringly with her long, dark, curly hair, Rayenna's face broke into a smile and all of her caution seemed to disappear at once. The youngest sister was seventeen and she looked more like her mother – pale skin and blonde hair, although she wore it straight instead of curly. Her name was Anwen and she did _not _like Elphaba. At all.

'She is _green_,' the girl declared crossly, folding her arms and glaring at Elphaba, who looked back with a blank face. 'Really?' the witch said in mock wonder. 'I hadn't noticed.'

The King chuckled and Anwen shot him a furious look before turning back towards Elphaba. 'What if Rayenna and I get green nieces and nephews?' she demanded, which made Fiyero chuckle. He quickly muffled his laugh into a fake cough at the look his younger sister gave him.

'Anwen,' the girl's mother chided her daughter. 'Elphaba is our guest. Be polite.'

'But she is a _witch_!' Anwen protested, causing Elphaba to smirk. 'Why, thank you.'

Fiyero was amazed at their behaviour – _everyone_'s behaviour, really. He hadn't expected his parents and Rayenna to make friends with his lover this easily, but he hadn't expected Anwen to be this rude, either. He was also surprised that Elphaba hadn't lost her temper yet, what with all the insults his sister was throwing at her, but the green girl seemed amused rather than annoyed.

Anwen's eyes nearly bulged. 'You mean you actually _are _a witch?'

'I can do magic, yes,' Elphaba replied politely enough, and Anwen narrowed her eyes. 'Are you wicked, too?'

'Anwen!' Fiyero cried, shocked, but Elphaba didn't even blink. 'No, I'm not wicked.'

'Do you have three eyes, like they say?'

'Do I _look _like I have three eyes?'

'Do you shed your skin like a snake?'

'That would be very interesting, I'm sure, but I'm afraid I'm not capable of that.'

'And does pure water melt you?'

'That's enough, Anwen!' the Queen interrupted, looking embarrassed and angry at the same time. 'I won't let you be this rude to our guest! Behave or leave!'

The girl kept her mouth shut, but Fiyero saw her think everything over. After a while, he noticed his sister talking quietly to one of the servants, but he didn't know what was being discussed and he decided it was probably not important, anyway.

Rayenna was questioning Elphaba about everything she could think of, especially about books, and Fiyero watched, smiling, as Elphaba's face lit up at the subject. Both girls discussed all of their favourite books, of which they appeared to have a lot in common. Fiyero was glad she got along well with his family.

'Elphaba?' That was Anwen's voice, and everyone turned to face the girl. She was standing in the doorway, clearly hiding something behind her back, and Fiyero narrowed his eyes in suspicion. She shuffled closer to Elphaba and Fiyero's eyes widened as he saw what his sister was hiding behind her back. 'Anwen! Don't you dare…' he started, but it was too late. Anwen lifted the bucket she was holding with two hands and before anyone could even so much as blink, she had poured the gallons of water that were in it all over Elphaba's head.

Elphaba was completely drenched. Her hair and clothes were soaked, water dripping from them, and Fiyero winced in anticipation of her reaction.

'You _didn't_,' the green girl gasped, wide-eyed, glaring at the younger girl dangerously. Anwen involuntarily stepped back a bit, mouth agape. 'You… you didn't melt!' she exclaimed.

'Huh,' the King muttered. 'I guess that proves _that _rumour to be wrong.'

Fiyero looked at his mother. 'You know, that thing about pointing out the obvious? I think it runs in the family.'

The Queen merely shot him a look before turning her attention to Elphaba. 'Are you all right, dear?' she asked worriedly.

Anwen's eyes widened and she shrank back a bit more, hiding behind her brother. 'Please don't kill me!' she yelped. 'I'm sorry! I just wanted to make sure you _really _weren't wicked – _please _don't kill me!'

Elphaba stared at the girl and for a moment, Fiyero worried that she might lose her temper and send books flying around the library – as well as possibly his sister, for which he couldn't even blame her - but then she did something none of them had expected her to do.

She burst out laughing.

Everyone looked at her for a moment, but then they all saw the utter ridiculousness of the situation, and they joined her in laugher. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her, still laughing. 'I'm really sorry about that,' he chuckled.

Elphaba grinned and looked at Anwen, who was still gaping at the green girl wide-eyed. 'Well, now that that little misunderstanding has been cleared up,' Elphaba said cheerfully. 'Do you suppose we could start over? I promise I won't bite. Or kill you,' she added at the frightful look the younger girl gave her.

Anwen hesitantly came closer. 'I'm _really _sorry,' she repeated, and Elphaba smiled, shaking her head. 'I know. I have to admit, I've never had a welcome like that,' she said, causing the cheeks of the Queen to redden with embarrassment – this was obviously not how she would have greeted any guest of hers. 'But I think it was rather… how shall I put it… _refreshing_,' she decided, making Anwen blush as well. 'I was just being really stupid,' the younger girl conceded softly.

'No…' Elphaba said, eyes twinkling mischievously. 'Not _really _stupid.' Fiyero turned out to say the words at the exact same time she did, and they took one look at one another before doubling up with laughter. The others looked at the couple in wonder, but decided not to ask anything.

Elphaba managed to compose herself quickly and she looked at Anwen again. 'All right, then. Start over?'

Anwen nodded, clearly ashamed of herself. 'Please.'

Elphaba held out her hand. 'Hi, my name is Elphaba Thropp. I'm a non-wicked witch with only two eyes, just like everyone else. My skin may be green, but it does not by far resemble a snake's, and water does most definitely _not _melt me – as you have witnessed not too long ago.'

Anwen smiled a bit uncertainly. 'It's really nice to meet you, Elphaba. I'm Anwen Tiggular, princess of the Vinkus, who always acts before she thinks…'

'Something the two of you have in common,' Fiyero muttered under his breath.

'… and sometimes judges people too soon, for which she wants to offer her sincerest apologies.'

'Apology accepted,' Elphaba smiled back, and Anwen looked relieved.

Rayenna clapped her hands in delight. 'Now could you please, please, _please _tell me everything that happened between the two of you? How did you meet? Why was she declared wicked? Things like that?'

For the second time in a few hours, they told their story, and both sisters squealed with delight. 'Sweet Oz, that is _so _romantic!' Anwen exulted, and Rayenna sighed with content. 'Are you planning on marrying her, Fiyero?'

Elphaba choked at that, and Fiyero gave her a mischievous look. 'Who knows?'

She glowered at him and brushed a strand of wet hair from her face. It was only then Fiyero realised she was still soaking wet.

The Queen must have realised that at the same time, because she exclaimed, 'Oh, my! My dear, you're absolutely drenched! Rayenna, why don't you show Elphaba a room – could you lend her some clothes of yours? You two are about the same height.'

Fiyero watched them leave. He was quite pleased with how everything had turned out – his family liked Elphaba and she seemed to like them, too. It could have been worse – at least no one had ended up dead. He smirked a bit at that thought.

His mother got up and hugged him. 'Congratulations, Fiyero. I'm very proud of you. It appears you found yourself quite the perfect woman.'

He smiled, returning her hug. 'I know, Mom. Believe me. I know.'


	15. They're Coming To Take Me Away

**AN: All right, so this is like, _really _long. I thought about splitting it up, but decided against it. I'm sorry in advance for something that starts with a 'c' and ends with 'liffhanger' at the end of this chapter - and a really, really mean one, too :). **

**A few words to you:**

**EvilLoveTriangle: Why, thank you. I love annoying people ^^.**

**Silvine Graycine: Thank you for the tip! I'm going to take a look at her fanfics right away - 'cause yes, I do enjoy reading them almost as much as I do writing them.**

**Thanks everyone else, too, for your reviews! You made my day :). **

**Disclaimer: Whoops, forgot one last time - again. But I still don't own Wicked, so...**

* * *

_A disease of the mind, it can control you_

_It's too close for comfort..._

* * *

Morrible was beside herself with anger and frustration. She had _not _planned for this to happen. The Wicked Witch had escaped her again – on a flying _crutch_, for Oz's sake! She was angry with _herself_, mostly, for underestimating Elphaba - _again_. That girl was far too powerful and far too resourceful for her own good. Morgana had to deal with her before that witch would ruin Morrible's plans – _again_.

She was flipping through the magic books in front of her, grunting with frustration. These books weren't even half as powerful as the Grimmerie, but they would just have to do, since there was no way she could get her hands on the Grimmerie – not yet, anyway. She smirked at that thought, flipping another page and eyeing the contents of the next spell with interest. A spell that will make a person experience their greatest fears. Apparently, it made people hallucinate, tricking them into believing what they were experiencing was real. Morrible mulled over the idea for a few minutes. Their greatest fears…

Any other person would have dismissed the idea with the logic that the Wicked Witch of the West did not _have _any fears. Morrible, however, knew better than that. The Wicked Witch might be fearless, but Elphaba most certainly was not.

She asked for a bowl of water and cast a spell on it – a tracking spell, so that the water would show her the whereabouts of the girl she despised so much. Apparently, Elphaba was at a castle with Fiyero. She made the image zoom out a bit and she saw that the King and Queen, as well as the two Princesses, of the Vinkus, were there as well. _Adurin Iir_, Morrible thought, smiling faintly. This was just… perfect.

She lifted her hands and fixed her gaze on the green girl she saw in the water. '_Linera Ado Nikun Cula, Amici Phobos Danika Sum._'

The water started whirling around in the bowl and turned black as ink for a few clock-ticks. Then it was restored to its former state, clear of any colour and clear of any visions. Morrible knew for sure the spell had worked, though – she could feel the magic flowing through her body. Carefully, she closed the book and leaned back in her chair. All she had to do now was let the spell do its work for her.

* * *

'All right,' Anwen stated, bouncing up and down on the couch across from Elphaba. 'So we really don't mean to be rude or anything, but Rayenna and I are kind of curious about, you know, which rumours were true, and which weren't. We already know about the eyes and the skin and the water, but there's so much more, so…'

Elphaba rolled her eyes good-naturedly. 'Go ahead. Ask me anything.'

The two sisters looked at each other before looking back at Elphaba and starting their interrogation.

'Are you really an old woman who casts spells to-'

'No, I'm not an old woman who casts spells on herself to keep herself young,' Elphaba sighed. The King, who was sitting at his desk behind the two girls, raised his eyebrows at Elphaba meaningfully and she couldn't help but chuckle.

Rayenna's turn. 'Do you know any spells that can make people love you?' she asked, a bit too hopefully.

'Do you think all of Oz would hate me if I did?' Elphaba retorted. Rayenna thought about that for a moment. 'That's actually a really good question – which leaves _my_ question kind of stupid. Your turn again, An.'

Anwen pursed her lips. 'Can you make things fly when you lose your temper?'

Now Elphaba looked a bit guilty. 'Uhm… Yes.'

Rayenna gasped and Anwen started bouncing again. 'Oh my Oz, that is so cool! Can you show us?'

'That depends,' Elphaba said sarcastically. 'Can you make me lose my temper?'

Anwen giggled, all excited now. 'What do I have to do to make that happen?'

'Keep going,' Elphaba grunted, which made Fiyero, who was sitting by the fireplace with his mother, chuckle. 'Trust me, little sis – you _don't _want that to happen. You really don't.'

Elphaba suddenly felt a bit strange, dizzy, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Rayenna immediately asked, concerned, 'Are you feeling quite all right?'

Elphaba opened her eyes again and gave the younger girl a tired smile. 'Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess. It's been a long day.'

Fiyero nodded and got up to kiss his mother's cheek. 'She's right – I'm tired, too. I think we'll be off to bed now.'

The King looked a bit worried at that. 'The _same _bed?' he asked.

'Harold!' the Queen chided him, shocked. Fiyero grinned at his father. 'Yes, the same bed. Does that bother you in any way, Father?'

His father looked positively uncomfortable at that. 'Well, uhm… I just don't think it would be sensible to… I mean, you're a Prince after all, and you're… well…'

Fiyero quickly reassured him. 'Don't worry, Dad. We're not doing anything – just sleeping.'

'Oh,' the King said, trying – and failing – to hide his relief. 'Good. That's good. Good night, then.'

'Good night, everyone,' Fiyero waved, practically pushing Elphaba out of the room and sighing effusively once they were outside. 'I love my family, don't get me wrong, but sometimes they drive me insane.'

She smiled and kissed his cheek. 'I guess that runs in the family as well.'

He scowled mockingly. 'What exactly are you saying?'

'Nothing, love,' she said, innocently widening her eyes at him. 'What did you think I was saying?'

He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close for a long, deep kiss. 'Now _what _were you saying?'

'Hmm,' she murmured, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him even closer. 'I don't think I can remember.' They kissed again, and Fiyero, without warning, scooped her up in his arms. She scowled at him. 'I have feet, you know.'

'I know,' he told her cheerfully, carrying her to his bedroom despite her protests. He gently set her down on the bed and kissed the top of her head. 'I'll go change for bed – I'll be right back so you can change, too. There are nightgowns for you in the closet.' With that, he disappeared in the bathroom.

It barely took him a minute to change. 'Your turn,' he called, but she didn't answer. He moved closer to the bed and a smile played around his lips. She was already asleep, hair spread out over the pillow like a raven curtain, curled up in foetal position. He slid under the blankets next to her and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to wake her. He kissed her neck once. 'Sweet dreams, Fae,' he whispered, before letting himself drift off to sleep as well.

* * *

Boq was pacing up and down the room, frowning, clearly thinking. Glinda, who had flopped onto her bed, was watching him a bit warily, prepared for nearly every way she imagined him to react to what she had just told him. He stopped pacing to look at her. 'You're telling the truth?'

'I wouldn't lie to you, Boq,' she said, shaking her head. She thought of their days at Shiz with a pang of regret. 'Not anymore, anyway.'

He nodded, slowly. 'I believe that. I just… I don't know what to say,' he confessed, looking a bit bewildered. 'I mean… You're trying to tell me that Elphaba wasn't wicked at all, that the two of you were best friends up until the end… That she turned me into tin for a reason?'

'Well,' Glinda said, carefully choosing her words. 'I don't know that last part for sure – but knowing her the way I did, I'm absolutely convinced that she would never do that to you unless she had a very good reason to.'

He shook his head. 'I don't know what to say.'

Glinda twirled one of her blonde curls around her finger. 'Do you believe me?'

Again, a slow nod. 'Yes. I think I do. You have no reason to lie to me, and… well, I _did _know Elphaba, back at Shiz. I mean, we weren't friends or anything, but I'd talk to her, and she'd talk to me – she even helped me pass a few of my classes, tutoring me…' He fell silent for a while when another realisation dawned at him. 'But… Glinda, if you _are _telling the truth, that means… That means I…' Horrified, he looked at the blonde girl. 'I killed your best friend.'

'Boq…'

'I know Dorothy killed her, technically speaking, but I was there. I encouraged her. Oz, I would have done it myself, with my bare hands, if she hadn't done it first – I'm at least as responsible as Dorothy is for Elphaba's death. I killed an innocent woman, Glinda!'

She could tell he really did feel bad about it. 'Uhm… Boq?' He looked up at her and at the guilt that was so clearly visible in his eyes, she decided that she could tell him the other part of the truth, as well. 'There's something else you need to know. Elphie isn't… She's not…' She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye. 'She's not dead, Boq.'

He gaped at her. 'Excuse me?'

'She's not dead,' Glinda repeated patiently. 'She faked it. She and… You've been travelling with the Scarecrow, haven't you? Do you happen to know his real identity?'

Boq shook his head, struck speechless. Glinda started fidgeting, avoiding his eyes. 'Well, uhm… That was Fiyero.'

Boq's eyes widened even more. 'Are you telling me that both Fiyero and Elphaba are still alive? Even worse – I've been travelling with Fiyero for weeks without knowing it was him?'

Glinda nodded, eyeing him as his face flushed, before paling until it was almost green – _the irony_. 'I think I'm going to be sick,' he said, slumping down in a chair.

'I was telling you the truth before, Boq,' she told him quietly. 'She's not wicked – she never was. She was just misunderstood. She's not a threat to anyone.'

He looked at the blonde. 'I suppose I have to apologise to her then, don't I?'

Glinda smiled a bit uncertainly. 'Are you sure? I expected you to handle this… well… not as well as you are right now, quite frankly.'

He chortled at that, but quickly became serious again. 'Glinda… Like I said, I believe you. I was so angry with her before, for what she had done to me,' he gestured vaguely at his now human body. 'It blinded me. It made me see what everyone said she was, not what she really was. I should have known better, really – like I said, I knew her, back at Shiz. She was weird, outspoken, stubborn, touchy and hot-tempered, but she was never cruel. Or wicked.'

Before she knew what she was doing, Glinda jumped up to hug him. 'Oh, Boq, you have no idea how happy I am that you think about it this way! I was so afraid that you'd… well, I don't know, really. Collect another bunch of with hunter to track her down again, or something, I suppose.'

'You've convinced _me_,' he said solemnly, looking her in the eye. 'But there _are _witch hunters out there again, you know that, and you won't be able to convince _them_.'

Glinda's face fell and she nodded, looking defeated. 'Yes. I know.' She stared out of the window, not really seeing anything. 'I hope she'll stay hidden for the time being. I hope she will be careful.'

* * *

Elphaba woke up in the middle of the night.

She blinked a few times, trying to remember why she had woken up. Fiyero was still beside her, fast asleep, but she felt as if there was another presence in the room. She shivered and, knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now, got up. Perhaps she could go and find herself some warm milk and honey to help put her back to sleep.

Barefoot, she snuck towards the door, but she froze in the middle of her movements when she suddenly heard a voice behind her. 'Well, well. If it isn't my dear sister.'

Slowly, she turned around, not quite believing her own ears, but there was no mistake possible. Behind her was Nessa, looking paler than she ever had, face twisted into a mask of pure loathing, eyes sparking with hatred. She looked a lot like she had when Elphaba had last seen her, hair tied in a wrong in her neck, wearing a black dress that made her look stern and older than her years. She was standing up, wearing the sparkling slippers Elphaba had enchanted for her. 'How are you, Elphaba? All happy and content now, with Fiyero by your side, hidden from the people? You know it won't last, don't you? Sooner or later, Fiyero will start to think about this and he'll leave you in a clock-tick. No one could ever love you, you know that.'

Elphaba merely stared at her younger sister, not able to process what was happening right in front of her. 'N-Nessa?'

The girl snorted. 'So you _do _remember me? I thought you'd forgotten all about me, even though it's technically your fault I'm dead.'

'Nessa, I'm so sor-'

'Don't you dare apologise to me,' Nessa hissed at her, eyes blazing. 'I hate you. I despise you. You leave a trail of destruction everywhere you go. Everyone who once knew you, ended up with their lives ruined – by _you_. Or did you forget about all that? Boq, trapped in the body of a tin man forever, because of you? Father, who died because of you? Me, your own sister, whose death you're also responsible for? Not to mention Glinda, who lost her love and her chance of happiness because of you, because you were so selfish? You took her fiancé away from her – what kind of friend would do such a thing?'

She felt unable to move. She could only stare, her mind raging as the words her sister was throwing at her slowly sunk in. All of it was true, of course, and there wasn't anything among the things Nessa said that Elphaba herself hadn't blamed herself for already. But to hear her own sister say it, in such a cold tone of voice, somehow made it ten times worse.

'You'll end up hurting Fiyero, too,' Nessa whispered, and Elphaba's gaze was involuntarily drawn to his sleeping form in the bed. 'You know that. You always end up hurting the people you care about.'

Suddenly, she was in her wheelchair again and she looked years younger, like the beautiful girl she had been when they had first started at Shiz, hair down, eyes wide and innocent. 'How could you, Elphaba?' she asked, a sad look in her eyes that nearly broke Elphaba's heart. 'How could you let them kill me? Why did you leave me? You were supposed to protect me…'

A single sob escaped from Elphaba's throat and she slowly sank down with her back against the wall. Nessa was still there, looking at her with those beautiful, doe-like eyes in such a sad, hurt way that she couldn't help herself. The single sob was followed by another one, and yet another, until she was crying and the tears were blurring her vision, thankfully erasing the innocent face of her little sister from her sight, but not from her mind. She knew her sister would stay there forever.

'Elphaba?' Suddenly Fiyero was beside her – she hadn't even known he was awake. He knelt down and softly rubbed her back in a soothing manner. 'Hey. Are you all right?'

She looked up, the tears still dripping from her eyes, and she blinked a few times. Nessa was gone; there was no trace whatsoever of her little sister, and she suddenly felt very silly. Of course Nessa hadn't been here – Nessa was dead. Had she dreamt it? That was probably it – she must have been dreaming.

'I'm sorry,' she sniffed, allowing Fiyero to help her up. 'I… I'm not sure what happened. I guess I must have had a bad dream – I think I have been sleepwalking or something…'

He smiled at her reassuringly. 'It's okay now, Fae. Go back to sleep.'

She nodded and snuggled against him, closing her eyes, convincing herself it had just been a bad dream.

* * *

Fiyero was jolted awake by a blood-curdling scream he immediately recognised as Elphaba's. He jumped out of bed and ran towards the bathroom, where he found her, sobbing uncontrollably. 'She dead!' she cried, looking up at him, but he didn't think she could really see him – her eyes were glazed, which concerned him. 'She's dead! Morrible killed her!'

This sent chills down Fiyero's spine. 'Who's dead? Elphaba, look at me. Who did Morrible kill?'

'She killed Glinda!' the green girl wailed, clinging to him, still sobbing. 'She murdered her, right in front of my eyes! Only to get to me! She killed Glinda and now it's my fault she's dead!'

He didn't understand this at all. 'Fae, what are you talking about? Glinda isn't even here!'

She looked at him as if he were crazy. 'Can't you see her? She's right there!' She pointed to an empty spot on the bathroom floor before flinging herself to that spot, whimpering. 'Oh Glinda, I'm so sorry!'

'Elphaba!' He took her shoulders and shook her – a bit too harsh, but he was starting to panic. 'What's wrong? Glinda isn't here – she's at the Emerald City, and there's no way Morrible can get to her!'

She looked up at him again, but she appeared far from lucid. 'Mama?' she asked a bit hesitantly. He merely stared at her, but she seemed convinced. 'Mama, I'm so sorry about everything!'

She started to sob again. 'It's all my fault! If I hadn't been green, Nessa would have been normal and beautiful and perfect, and you would have lived, and no one would have had to be ashamed of me! I'm so, so sorry, Mama!' Her sobbing grew heavier, to the point where she didn't seem able to breathe properly anymore. Then she fainted.

He tried to calm himself – enough to think clearly, anyway. He thought about running downstairs to get a doctor for a moment, but then he'd have to explain to that doctor why he was hiding the Wicked Witch in his chambers – plus, he really didn't want to leave her alone at this point. He decided to wait for her to wake up first before deciding what to do next.

It didn't even take her one minute to wake up, blinking slowly, confused. 'Yero?'

'Fae? Are you all right?' he asked, clutching her hand and eyeing her worriedly. She sat up, groggily. 'I just… I don't know… What happened?'

'I'm not sure yet,' he said earnestly, helping her up. He carefully peered into her eyes. They were still a bit foggy, but at least she didn't seem as dazed as she was a few minutes ago. 'Don't you remember what happened?'

'I think I had a weird dream,' she said, still blinking in confusion. 'Something to do with Morrible killing Glinda, and… something about my mother?'

'You weren't dreaming, Elphaba,' he said, the concern not leaving his eyes. 'You were… hallucinating, I think. You really scared me.'

'I'm sorry,' she said softly, composing herself. She straightened her shoulders and headed back to the bedroom, where she walked towards the closet to pull out a dress for her to wear that day. 'It's probably nothing, Yero,' she said over her shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. 'I've been under a lot of stress lately – that has to come out somehow. I guess it's just a way for my body to deal with all that, or something. It probably won't happen again.' She breezed past him, closing the bathroom door behind her. 'I'll be out in a minute!'

He eyed the closed door wearily. He didn't like the way she had dismissed it as being nothing, but knowing her, he wouldn't be able to convince her to go and see a doctor – she'd probably just laugh at him. He decided to let it slip for now, but if something like this ever happened again, he would intervene.

After they'd both gotten dressed, they went downstairs to have breakfast with Fiyero's family. His parents had ordered the servants to not disturb them by any means, leaving it safe for Elphaba to take off her gloves and cloak, which she did. She was currently enveloped in a conversation with his mother about politics. His sisters both looked a bit bored, and although Rayenna was far too polite to say anything like that out loud, Anwen was far more blunt and interrupted the conversation between her mother and Elphaba shamelessly. 'Elphaba, what's Shiz University like?'

The Queen chided her for her rudeness and Fiyero bent over to whisper in Elphaba's ear, 'She'll be off towards Shiz herself within a year – she's been pestering me with questions ever since I've gone there myself.'

Elphaba smiled and told Anwen everything she wanted to know about Shiz, the students, the teachers, the classes. Fiyero couldn't help but notice how she managed to make all of it sound wonderful, while he knew she had had an awful time there herself – at first, anyway, before she had befriended Galinda. He knew why she was doing it – she didn't want to crush his little sister's fantasies about the amazing life as a college student – and he loved her for it. Despite everything she had been through herself, she was still trying to protect the people she cared about from experiencing the same thing.

And Anwen probably _would _have a good time at Shiz, he decided, looking at his younger sister. She was optimistic and cheerful, not really obsessed with clothes and fashion the way Glinda had been back then, but she was likable enough to become quite popular among the other students.

After breakfast, they each went their own way for the rest of the morning – the King had a meeting with a few members of the Arjiki tribe, his wife was going to read in the library, Anwen went off into town to go shopping with some friends, and Rayenna had to study for her exams. Fiyero took Elphaba on a tour throughout the castle, which she seemed to appreciate, before taking her to the sitting room attached to his bedroom. 'I need to go talk with my mother for a moment,' he said, reluctant to leave her alone, but reassured by the fact that she had seemed fine all morning. 'There's a bookcase in the corner, you can read a bit if you…' His voice trailed off when he realised he had lost her attention at the word 'bookcase'. She was already standing in front of it, eying the covers of the books eagerly. 'All right, then,' he said a bit dumbly. 'I guess you won't be bored while I'm gone.'

She waved one hand at him, not even taking her eyes off the books. 'I'll see you in a minute, then.'

'Sure,' he muttered, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He shook his head, smiling. He loved the way she would forget everything around her when books were involved. She was always so passionate about everything she did.

He went for a small chat with his mother – in fact, he told her what had happened with Elphaba that morning and asked her if she could help him, but she wasn't sure. 'Elphaba might have been right,' she said. 'She certainly has been under a lot of pressure lately, and that might just come out this way. I think it would be best for you to wait – if it happens again, please come and tell me instantly.'

He had agreed and left the library, going back to where he had left Elphaba, expecting to find her engrossed in a book. She wasn't, however. She was cowering in a corner, whimpering softly, hugging herself and rocking back and forth, softly moaning his name all the while. 'Yero… Fiyero… I'm so sorry…'

'Fae!' he called and he dashed towards her, but she looked up, her eyes full of cold hatred, and hissed at him. 'Don't touch me!'

He immediately froze, holding up his hands to prove that he wasn't going to hurt her. He approached her as if she were a timid animal. 'Fae? Please talk to me,' he pleaded. She started rocking again, mumbling to herself. 'It's your fault he's dead. Not mine. It your fault!' she suddenly yelled, jumping to her feet. 'You made me a Wicked Witch! You allowed Morrible to kill him! You're my father, you're supposed to protect me…' She sank back to the floor and hugged herself again, crying softly. 'Fiyero… I'm so sorry… It _is _my fault you are dead…'

She thought he was the Wizard of Oz, he realised. She thought he was dead. He approached her again, cautiously. 'Fae, it's me, Fiyero. I'm not dead, I'm right here.'

'You're not Fiyero!' she shrieked, jumping up again. 'Don't lie to me! Fiyero's dead, just like Frex and Nessa and Glinda and my mother… I killed them! I killed them all! I'm _wicked_!' At that, the books in the bookcase started to shudder, and a few of them flew off in his direction. He ducked just in time and he ran out of the room, locking the door behind him to make sure she couldn't get away before running off. Grown man or not, he needed his mother for this.

* * *

Elphaba was shaking violently as she looked at Fiyero, who had been stabbed in the chest multiple times by Morrible. Glinda was next to him, her throat slit; there was Nessa, crushed to death, and Frex, the man whom she had always thought of as her father…

There was her mother, suddenly, standing beside her, smiling reassuringly at her. 'Don't worry, dearie,' she said in the voice of Madam Morrible. 'Everything is going to be all right. Just do as I say.'

'You should die, too,' Fiyero whispered. He was on her other side, the knife still sticking out of his chest. 'It serves you right after everything you did.'

'Just do it, sister.' Nessa, obviously. 'End this. End all of this and I promise you'll be free.'

'You'll be safe, my darling,' said her mother, in her own voice this time, still smiling. 'It will be for the best.'

Glinda was standing at the window, holding out her hand invitingly. 'Do it, Elphie,' she said in a teary voice. 'We can finally be together!'

Elphaba stepped forward and the thick glass of the window shattered to pieces as she released her power. She walked towards Glinda, slowly, step by step. The blonde smiled at her, holding out both her hands now. 'Together we're unlimited.'

She heard footsteps downstairs – they had probably heard the glass breaking and they were coming for her. She had to hurry, before it was too late.

'Fae!' she heard someone call, but she ignored it. She knew they wouldn't reach her in time, anyway. She stepped onto the window-sill and looked down. She could see the gardens, far below. Her hair was flying around her face and she looked back once. Everyone was smiling at her now.

'Come to us, darling,' her mother said, spreading her arms. Nessa was beside her in the window-sill. 'Do it, sister. Free yourself.'

Elphaba took a deep breath. _Close my eyes…_

She squeezed her eyes shut and jumped. Behind her, the door burst open and someone shouted, 'Fae!' but she barely heard it because of the blood pounding in her ears. She didn't care, either. She was floating. Time seemed to slow down when she fell, leaving her life behind her, defying gravity for the final time – although perhaps it was gravity that was defying _her _this time.

…_and leap._

* * *

**Please don't hate me.**

**And keep this in mind: if you kill me, you'll never know what happens next. If you review, on the other hand, you'll find out soon enough *smirk* ^^.**


	16. Love, Prayer, & Forgiveness

**AN: So, thank you so very much for your... uhm... murderous... reviews. It's nice to know there are people out there who want to... kill me. Ahem. So. Uhm... Fae the Queen, I don't think it's possible to virtually kill a person. Or at least, I hope not... *gulp* & Wicked4Life, thank you for the compliment :). So, I don't really have that much to say anymore, and I'm sure you'll just want to skip this AN and read on anyway, so I'm going to stop now.**

**Oh, one more thing: more virtual cookies & hugs for the ones who can find the Crossing Jordan reference in this chapter - not sure if anyone has seen the series, but I personally love it. **

**Disclaimer: I'm not that girl.**

* * *

Elphaba came to her senses when she was about halfway down.

The first thought that came to her was, _What in Oz am I doing?_

The answer to that was quite clear, actually – she was falling. She remembered jumping, although she wasn't sure anymore why she had done that. She knew she had to do something soon, however, for it was a long way down and she had only moments left until she'd hit the ground.

She tried not to panic and thought of several possible ways to save herself, but they were all useless. Finally, she decided to go with the flying spell again, casting it on her dress, for a lack of something better, and hoping she would have enough time to activate it before she plummeted to her death.

She did all of that thinking in less than one clock-tick, and as soon as she had decided, she started muttering the spell. Nothing happened and for a moment, she thought that this was it, this was how she would come to an end. It felt like an anticlimax. The Wicked Witch of the West, feared by all of Oz, plummeting to her death from a window. Even the melting story seemed more spectacular now.

Just before she hit the ground, however, she felt a slight tug at her dress and she slowed down, flying now rather than falling. An immense sense of relief washed over her. The spell had worked. She wouldn't die – not today, anyway.

She soared down until her feet touched the ground, but her knees immediately buckled and she slumped down, trying to catch her breath and stop trembling. She wasn't sure how long she'd been there before she heard footsteps running towards her and Fiyero, followed by the King and Queen as well as the two Princesses, dashed around the corner. 'Fae!' He was with her in an instant, crushing her to him. She drew a few more shaky breaths before she could even speak. 'What did I _do_?!'

Fiyero didn't seem able to say anything at all, so his mother answered for him. 'It looked a lot like you were trying to kill yourself, dear.'

She looked up at the woman as if she were crazy. 'Why would I do that?'

The Queen quirked an eyebrow. 'You tell me.'

Then the memories came rushing back, and she shook her head. 'I remember, but… It's a bit fuzzy. It seems really stupid now, but I'd have sworn Fiyero to be dead, and Glinda as well, and… and they were there, all the people that died because of me, and they convinced me to… to join them, to jump…'

The King gently placed his hand on Fiyero's shoulder. 'It's okay, son. She's all right. Nothing happened, she's fine.' He looked at Elphaba, puzzled. 'How did you do that?' he asked. 'One moment, I was sure we'd have to scrape you off the terrace, and the next, you were here, unharmed.'

She managed to give him a shaky smile. 'I'm a witch, remember?'

Fiyero, in the meantime, had buried his face in her hair, and it looked an awful lot like he was crying. She gently rocked him back and forth. 'I'm sorry, Yero,' she whispered, not able to hold back her own tears either. He shifted a bit and tightened his grip on her. 'You scared me to death.'

'I know.' She rested her head against his shoulder. 'I'm really sorry.' They were both silent for a while, until she asked in a shaky voice, 'What's happening to me?'

No one answered, because no one knew.

* * *

Fiyero was sitting in a chair, staring into the flames that were blazing in the fireplace. Elphaba was resting on the bed; he would get up to check on her every few minutes, but thankfully, she didn't seem to be having any more episodes.

Never before in his life had he been so scared as when he saw her jump from that window-sill. He had dashed through the room, trying to grasp her before she fell, but his fingers had only grazed the fabric of her dress before she had fallen down. He had been convinced that she would die, and for that awful moment, he felt like dying himself. But she had saved herself, coming to her senses just in time, thank goodness, and he had thanked every God he knew for that.

They still had a problem, however. Not long after her near-death experience, she had had another episode, hallucinating – from what he could conclude from her words, it had been a hallucination about her being pregnant and Morrible slowly tearing the baby from her stomach before eating it. He felt sick at the mere thought, even more so because he knew it seemed so very real to her. He wished there was something he could do to help, but he couldn't think of anything. His mother had gone talking to a doctor, trying to prod him into diagnosing Elphaba's condition without telling him who the patient was.

He was jerked away from his thought as Elphaba suddenly shot up from the bed. 'Of course! A spell!'

He immediately ran towards the bed, expecting her to be hallucinating again, but her eyes were clear and focused when she looked at him. 'Morrible cast a spell on me!'

A small spark of hope manifested itself inside him. 'Do you think so?'

'I can't believe I didn't see it before,' she murmured, clearly annoyed with herself. 'It's so obvious!'

'Can you do anything about it?' he asked, and she nodded confidently. 'Every spell has a counter spell – well, except for the spells from the Grimmerie, of course, but she doesn't have the Grimmerie. Hallucination spells are quite common, actually – I can even think of a few myself. She probably found one in another magic book.' She jumped out of bed and pulled a cloak around herself. 'I'm going to the library, to see if I can find a way to reverse this spell.'

'I'm going with you,' Fiyero said immediately. She looked ready to protest, but he held up one hand to stop her from doing so. 'I'm not leaving you alone – not when you are like this. Believe it or not, but I'd rather not have you try to kill yourself again.' He tried to sound airily, but she could see the anxiety in his eyes and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. 'All right. I love you, Yero.'

He relaxed at that, smiling at her and returning her kiss. 'I love you too, Fae.'

She spent the rest of the afternoon in the library, searching through book after book, but the best she could come up with was a temporary counter spell – one that would last only for about two days. She grunted in frustration. 'What am I supposed to do? Cast a spell on myself every two days to keep my sanity? I bet the Grimmerie would have a spell in it to…' Her eyes widened when the idea struck her, and Fiyero immediately knew what she was thinking. 'Oh, no,' he said, shaking his head. 'No way. You are _not _going to the Emerald City to retrieve the Grimmerie from Glinda! It's far too dangerous!'

'And this isn't?' she returned, gesturing towards herself. 'You can't keep an eye on me all the time, Fiyero, and I could try and kill myself again any moment. We have to solve this. I don't think there's any other way.'

'I'm coming with you.'

'No, you're not.' Her tone of voice made it clear there was no discussion possible.

'But even if you fly, it'll take you at least a day to get there,' he protested. 'What if you get another episode while you're on your way?'

She tapped the page lying open in front of her with her fingernail. 'I'll cast this temporary spell to make sure I can get to the Emerald City safely. Glinda will help me once I get there, I'll find the spell in the Grimmerie, cast it, and come back. It'll only take me a few days.'

'I don't like it,' he said stubbornly, and she gave him a weary smile. 'I know you don't. But I really don't want you to come along. If you can't accept my argument for not wanting to put you in any danger, then please accept the fact that it'll be much faster and easier for me to travel and sneak into the palace by myself.'

He shot her a sour look. 'You're impossible to argue with when you're right.'

She smirked at him, but just then he saw her eyes cloud for a moment, and he knew she was about to have another episode. 'Cast the spell,' he urged her. 'Now.'

She took a deep breath and spoke the magical words. '_Non Delos Il Mehna Arami Sanctum Livre Voi._'

It was like someone pulled away a veil that had been over her eyes since the hallucinations had started, and he looked at her cautiously. 'Fae?'

She blinked at him. 'Nessa?'

He was on the verge of panicking all over again when she chuckled and tried her best to look guilty. 'Sorry. Not funny.'

He let out his breath. 'Someday, I'm going to end up killing you for that horrible sense of humour of yours. How many fingers?' He wiggled three fingers in front of her and she rolled her eyes. 'I'm fine, Fiyero, really. It worked.'

'How many fingers?' he insisted, and she sighed and squinted at his fingers. 'Friday.'

He pulled back his hand. 'Fine, I'm convinced. You're you again.'

'I think it would be best for me to leave right away,' she said, looking at her crutch. 'Give me two minutes to pack some clothes and food.' She was gone before he could even answer, and she was back again within the promised two minutes. She briefly kissed his cheek. 'Don't worry, Yero, I'll be okay. I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone. Please… explain it to your family.'

'I will,' he promised, hugging her tightly to him. His family knew everything there was to know about Elphaba – he was sure they would understand, but he would have to explain a few things to them. They had never had anything to do with magic before and they couldn't possibly understand what was going on here without him telling them. 'Be careful.'

'You know me – I'm always careful.' She chose to ignore the rather sceptic look he shot her. Instead she mounted her crutch, whispered the magical words and rose into the air, shooting through an open window and soon disappearing from his vision.

* * *

Glinda was hovering on the edge of sleep when a soft sound suddenly jolted her awake. She looked around the room with wide eyes. No one there… but then why had it sounded so much like someone had just opened and closed a door?

Then she saw a shadow hugging the wall and she immediately squawked, 'Iiiiiiiiieeeeeehhh!'

'Ssh!' the shadow hissed at her, and she caught a glimpse of black fabric and green skin. 'E-Elphie?' she breathed, trying to calm herself down. 'Sweet Oz… You nearly…'

'Gave you a heart attack?' the green girl asked sarcastically, quirking an eyebrow at her friend. Glinda gave her a dark look. '_Yes_.'

'Lady Glinda?' came a voice through the door. 'Are you all right?'

'Yes!' she called back, clearing her throat to prevent her voice from squeaking. 'I just had a nightmare – I'm fine!' She turned back to Elphaba. 'I'm so glad you're okay!' she whispered, hugging her friend briefly. 'How did you get here?'

Elphaba looked at the crutch she was holding rather sheepishly, and Glinda did everything she could to hold back a giggle – failing horribly. 'You're not serious, are you? You enchanted a _crutch _to fly on?'

The green girl glared at her. 'Well…'

'Yes, I know, I know,' Glinda said, waving her hand, still giggling. 'We can't all come and go by bubble, right?'

Elphaba smirked. 'Finally, you're learning.'

'Elphie… why are you here?' Glinda asked, growing serious. 'If anyone discoverates you…'

'They won't,' Elphaba assured her, putting the crutch aside. 'I just… I needed the Grimmerie.'

At Glinda's questioning look, she told her friend about the spell Morrible had cast on her, and the blonde girl swore – something Elphaba had never heard her do before, and she found it rather amusing. Glinda, however, looked about ready to kill Morrible bare-handed. 'That evil old…'

'Glinda,' Elphaba interrupted her gently. The blonde looked up. 'I'll deal with Morrible later. Right now I need the Grimmerie.'

'Right,' Glinda said, hurrying over to her wardrobe and digging up the old book. She handed it over to Elphaba. 'Here you go. You can take it with you, if you want – it's rightfully yours, after all.'

Elphaba shook her head, smiling. 'Thank you, Glin, but I think you should keep it. I'll just… borrow it for now. Just this one spell, and you can have it back.' She started flipping through the pages, frowning as she usually did when she was concentrating on something, and Glinda decided it would be best to leave her friend. 'Good luck. You know where to find me if you need any help,' she said, before retreating to the sitting area.

She jumped when she saw someone sitting in one of the chairs. 'Boq! What are you doing here?'

'I heard you scream,' he explained, getting up. 'I came to see if you were okay, but then I heard voices and I assumed there was a maid with you or something, so I decided to stick around to see if you were really okay. Are you? Okay?'

She closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to calm her wrecked nerves. 'Yes. Yes, I'm okay. I'm fine.'

He looked relieved. 'Good.' He made a vague gesture towards the door. 'So, who was it you were talking to in there?'

She narrowed her eyes, thinking for a moment. 'Were you serious before? About wanting to apologise to Elphaba?'

He cocked his head, not sure what this sudden change of subject was about. 'Yes, I was. Why?'

'Seems like you got your wish,' she said simply, locking eyes with him. 'She's in there.'

He paled visibly. 'Really?'

Glinda nodded and worried for a while if it had been the right decision to tell Boq this, but she relaxed when he asked anxiously, 'Do you think she'll be mad at me? You know, for… killing her.'

The question almost made Glinda giggle – it was quite the ridiculous situation, after all – but she restrained herself, knowing Boq to be genuinely concerned. 'She's been feeling awfully guilty about turning you into tin,' Glinda reassured him. 'I think she'll mostly just be happy that you've forgiven her for that.'

He nodded and followed Glinda when she went back into her bedroom. Elphaba must have heard her enter, because she exclaimed, 'I found it!' without even looking up. When Glinda didn't reply, she looked up from the old spell book and her eyes widened. 'Boq…'

'Don't worry,' Glinda said immediately. 'He knows about you – _everything _about you – and he won't betray you.'

Elphaba glared at her friend. 'You _told _him?'

'I trust him,' the blonde replied confidently, flashing a smile at Boq. He shuffled forward, clearly anticipating the green girl to assault him or something, but when she didn't, he let out his breath and said, 'I'm sorry.'

Elphaba stared at him in confusion. 'What?'

'I'm sorry,' he repeated. 'For hating you, and for the part I played in killing… or… well… fake-killing… you.'

Elphaba was speechless – it was clear that she had never expected any of this to happen. Finally, she just shook her head. 'Boq, no… You don't have anything to apologise for. I understand why you did it, and I don't blame you for it.' She took a deep breath. 'But… can you forgive _me_? For turning you into tin?'

'I guess so,' he said, coming closer now and taking a seat across from Elphaba. Glinda also sat down and watched her two friends with interest. 'Can you explain to me why you did it?' Boq then asked, and Glinda leaned in a bit, curious about that herself.

Elphaba told them what had happened that day, how Nessa had been so furious about Boq wanting to leave that she had cast a spell on him, but how she had mispronounced the words and ended up leaving Boq without a heart. 'I felt like it was the only thing I could do to save you,' she ended quietly, avoiding both their gazes. 'I swear, if there had been any other way… But… It all happened so fast, and I… I couldn't think of anything else to…'

Glinda leaned over and gently squeezed her hand. 'It's okay, Elphie. He forgives you.' She looked at Boq pointedly. 'Don't you?'

'I do,' he agreed, and Elphaba smiled, obviously relieved. 'Thank you.'

He shook his head. 'Seems like you were right,' he said to Glinda. 'As usual.' She beamed at him, and Elphaba chuckled, but didn't say anything.

'So,' Glinda continued, 'now that's been settled… Boq, do you mind if I talk to you later? I need some time alone to talk to Elphie.'

'Of course,' he said, looking once more at Elphaba. She smiled at him, and to Glinda's surprise, he actually returned the smile before leaving the room.

'Well,' the blonde said cheerfully, 'that went better than I expected.'

Elphaba gave her a look, but then directed her attention to the Grimmerie in front of her. '_Ah Tum Nahmen Arami Non Phobos Voi Nahmen,_' she chanted, and Glinda watched in awe as the air seemed to shiver for a moment. Elphaba let out a sigh of relief. 'I think it worked.'

'I thought you said the spells from the Grimmerie are irreversible,' Glinda said, cringing her forehead in confusion. Elphaba nodded. 'They are, but the original spell wasn't from the Grimmerie – Morrible didn't have it, you did, remember? And even most spells that originate from the Grimmerie can be… well, not reversed, but countered, anyway.' She looked at the book rather fondly, and Glinda smiled. 'Do you want to stay and read it for a while? Who knows – you might find some useful spells in it to fight Morrible.'

Elphaba looked at her friend a bit hesitantly. 'I don't mean to bother you…'

'Don't be silly,' Glinda said, waving her hand at her friend. 'You never bother me. Although I think I'll go back to sleep, if you don't mind – I've got another long day ahead of me tomorrow. You can read in the sitting area, if you like… will you be back anytime soon?'

Elphaba shook her head. 'I really haven't the slightest idea, Glinda. It all depends on whatever is going to happen next, but I can't promise anything at this point.'

Glinda went over to her friend and hugged her tightly. 'I know. I understand. Stay safe, okay?'

The green girl managed a smile. 'I'll try.' Glinda turned around, but then Elphaba asked her, hesitantly, 'Glinda?'

She turned again.

'Can I… have my broom back?'

Glinda quirked an eyebrow at that. 'What? Flying by enchanted crutch isn't witchy enough for you?'

Elphaba glared at her. 'No, it's not. It's kind of embarrassing, really, and I do have a reputation to maintain, after all,' she said sarcastically. 'It's also not very comfortable, and I've grown attached to my old broom. So can I have it?'

Glinda smirked and went to rummage around in her closet again before pulling out the broom. 'Here you go.'

Elphaba smiled at her. 'Thank you.'

So Glinda went to bed, and Elphaba went to study the Grimmerie. She discovered the spell that Morrible must have used, the immortality spell, but unfortunately, there was no way to reverse it – not that she had expected there to be. She studied the counter spell, the one that Morrible herself would have to cast for it to be effective, but to no avail. Morrible would never cast it on herself, and it was no use for anyone else to do so.

_But perhaps there is a way to force Morrible into casting the spell, _Elphaba mused, flipping through the pages. She had no idea how else to defeat her former Headmistress; not even her magical powers could stand up against invincibility.

After hours of reading, she looked up, amazed at seeing that the eastern sky was already starting to lighten. Soon, the sun would rise –she had to leave before then, or the Ozians would be able to clearly see her fly through the sky and that was something she wanted to avoid – them knowing about her being alive wasn't the same as rubbing it in their faces. She got up, ready to put the Grimmerie away and leave, when the page currently lying open caught her eye. She frowned as she quickly scanned the page. She wasn't sure if the spell could be of any use to her, and she didn't have time to try and find that out right now. So she quickly copied the page, stuffing the piece of paper in her pocket, closing the book and hiding it in Glinda's closet again. She looked once more at her sleeping friend before mounting her broom – not her crutch, but her broom, which felt incredibly good – and leaving back for Adurin Iir.

It took her a day to get back there and she discovered Fiyero and his family in the library, looking anxious. He jumped up when she came in. 'Fae! Are you all right?'

'Never better,' she told him truthfully, giving him a weary smile as she put her broom in the corner. 'I can't possibly explain to you how good it feels to finally be sane again. No more hallucinations or suicide attempts, I promise.'

He hugged her, and so did his parents and sisters after him. 'We were very worried,' Anwen told her and Elphaba was touched by the sincerity in her voice. 'Fiyero told us about the spell that horrible woman cast on you – if she were here now, I'd kill her with my bare hands, strangling her and then pushing her into the fireplace until she…'

'That's quite enough of that, dear,' her mother scolded the girl gently. Anwen blushed slightly and sat back, but beamed at the genuine smile Elphaba gave her. It was nice to know that there were people willing to fight for her – not just Fiyero and Glinda now, but his family as well. It felt good to finally have a family again. People who loved her already, who stood up for her, who trusted her. It felt more than good, she realised as she sat down and allowed Rayenna to hug her tightly as well.

It felt as if she finally belonged.

* * *

******Oh, come on, you didn't really think I was going to kill Elphaba, did you? What kind of person would I be if I did that? :O I would never do that! (Not yet, anyway... heheheh.)**

******So did you find the Crossing Jordan reference? ^^**

**Please review! And you still owe me an answer - to Gloq or not to Gloq? It's up to you guys...**


	17. A Sense Of Belonging

**AN: Thanks again so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them :).**

**All right, since it seems I'm the only Crossing Jordan fan out here... it was the bit where Fiyero asks how many fingers and Elphaba says 'Friday' because she thinks he is being ridiculous. I kinda stole/borrowed that one from a Crossing Jordan episode. Jordan is a lot like Elphaba, witty and sarcastic and independent, and I really love that bit, so I borrowed it.**

**I decided against Gloq in the end, partly because of your reviews on the topic. They'll just stay very close friends. Instead, I went with another idea I had about a man for Glinda - because, well, I can't very well leave her without a man, right? I didn't want to do that. She deserves someone to love her.**

**So, some fluff to precede some action. I love fluff, don't you? ^^**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Wicked.**

* * *

One afternoon, Fiyero took her for a picnic in the giant gardens of the castle.

'No one will see us there,' he explained, arranging a blanket on the floor for them to sit on. 'This is the private part of the garden – only the Royal Family can be here. And I've explicitly told this Royal Family that if they even dare to come and peek at us, they're dead.'

Elphaba chuckled at that and sat down next to Fiyero, who started unpacking the basket he brought. Wine, juice, bread, fruit, cheese – no meat, she noted, and she smiled at his thoughtfulness. 'Thank you, Yero. It's wonderful.'

They stayed in the garden all afternoon, not really feeling the need to go back inside. At one point, Elphaba fell asleep with her head in Fiyero's lap. When she woke up a few hours later, she caught him watching her.

'Hey,' he said, smiling. She merely glared at him. 'For how long have you been staring at me?'

He chuckled. 'Ever since you fell asleep – about mid afternoon. It's a rare opportunity, really – you always wake up before I do. You look beautiful when you sleep.'

She sighed and he grinned at her. 'Although you _always_ look beautiful, you know that.'

'Stop lying.' She would always say something like that, and he wasn't sure whether she actually meant it, that she really didn't believe him, or if she just liked to tease him with it.

'It's not lying, it's-'

'Well, then stop looking at things another way.'

He chuckled and played with her hair, curling strands of it around his fingers. 'You never sleep during the day,' he remarked, absent-mindedly noting how soft and silky her hair felt against his skin. 'You must have been really tired.'

She closed her eyes again, allowing him to play with her hair some more. 'I was. It just… it doesn't seem to end, you know? Every time I think things are going to work out, something happens that shatters everything to pieces again.' She sighed again. 'I guess I'm just not meant for the ever after.'

'Hey.' He caught her chin and she opened her eyes to look directly into his sapphire ones. 'Don't say that. We'll get through this, and we will have our happily ever after one day.'

She managed a faint smile, not entirely convinced, and she sat up. 'Is there some more left of that delicious pie your mom baked this morning?'

'At least I don't have to reprimand you about not eating anymore,' he teased her when she had her third piece of pie. She raised her eyebrows at him, swallowing the last bite. 'Blame your mother and her delicious pies.'

'I will,' he promised her, and she laughed. She snuggled closer against him, he put his arms around her and they watched the sunset together, the sky exploding in shades of orange, pink, red and yellow, and she sighed with content. 'This is the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen.'

He kissed her hair. 'Better than the sunsets in the Emerald City? You know, when the sun lights up all the green and every building seems to glow?'

She hesitated for a moment. 'I used to love the sunsets in the Emerald City,' she conceded, 'but this one is much more beautiful.'

He smiled and started waving wild flowers into her hair. 'Good.'

They watched until the sun had completely disappeared and the sky started to turn a shady gray. Then she asked hesitantly, 'Yero?'

'Hmm?'

She sat up again, looking him in the eye. 'I need you to promise me something.'

Her serious tone made him worry instantly. 'What is it?'

She hesitated again. Then she said, 'We don't know what will happen next, right? I mean… Morrible got to me before, she almost had me kill myself and I didn't even have a clue of what was going on.'

He had a feeling he knew where this was going. 'Fae…'

'I need you to promise me that if something happened to me, you carry on with your life.'

He looked at her, shocked. 'Fae!'

'Please?' Her large, dark brown eyes were pleading. 'I meant what I said before - I don't want to drag anyone with me anymore, Yero. I'm not saying I'm giving up – you know me better than that,' she said with a soft chuckle, and he couldn't help but smile faintly at that. Elphaba and giving up was like… Glinda going to a mall without buying anything. In other words, it would never happen.

'I just need to know that you'll take care of yourself while I'm gone,' she whispered, and he bent forward to kiss her. 'If it makes you happy for me to promise that, my Fae, I will,' he told her truthfully. 'But I need you to promise something to me as well.'

'What?' she asked, peering at him. He took her hands. 'To _never _leave me alone if you can help it in any way.'

She kissed him fiercely. 'Never.'

She wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her back fiercely, tangling one hand in her long, raven hair and resting the other one on her back, pressing her closer to him. She closed her eyes and melted into his embrace as he deepened the kiss, and all her worries and problems seemed to vanish, just as they always did whenever he was around. Somehow, he always made everything better. It scared her, but it felt amazing, and wonderful, and _right _at the same time. She smiled against his lips, and she started trailing kisses down his neck and his chest. He moaned softly, burying his face in her hair and taking in her smell. ´Fae?'

'Hmm?'

'You smell good,' he murmured against her neck. 'You smell like…' He frowned, not sure how to describe the smell.

'Artichokes?' she suggested with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. He pulled back a little to give her a stern look. '_No_. I was going to say… you smell like spring.'

She smiled at him and he kissed her again, gently pushing her back until she was lying down. She tangled her fingers in his hair and moaned softly as he kissed her jaw line, her neck, her collarbone. He traced her features with his finger. 'You are so beautiful.'

She merely smiled again and pressed her lips against his until they both had to pull back again to breathe. 'Do you really not believe it?' he asked her. 'That you are beautiful?'

She shook her head. 'No,' she said, and he couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit disappointed. He had hoped that all these months of telling her that she _was_, in fact, beautiful, would help her to finally get to believe it herself. But then again, he supposed it would take more than a few months to undo an entire lifetime of hearing how ugly you are.

Elphaba rested her head against his chest and continued softly, 'But I _feel _beautiful when I'm with you. Because I know I'm beautiful to you, and that's all I could ever ask for.'

He heard the sincerity in her voice and it almost made him cry with happiness, but he swallowed his tears and kissed her hair instead. 'I love you so much, Fae.'

She lifted her head to look at him and she smiled. 'I love you, too,' she replied, before she kissed him again.

* * *

'Corrin!' Glinda chirped, hugging her newly arrived guest warmly. 'How are you?'

The man smiled, removed his hat and bowed for her. 'It's a pleasure to see you, as always, Lady Glinda.'

'Oh, stop the Lady-ing already!' she protested, waving her hands in a dismissing gesture. 'It's just Glinda to you, you know that! Seriously – how are you? I haven't seen you in ages!'

'I had work to do,' he explained, following her to her chambers. Boq was already there and he smiled at Corrin as he came in. 'Boq, this is Corrin,' Glinda introduced them. 'Corrin has been working for the Wizard for years and now he works for me – sort of, anyway. He's been the one to pull me through everything for the past few years and he's been the biggest help to me with making decisions about how to rule Oz ever since I became the new ruler. Corrin, this is Boq, a very dear friend of mine.'

The men shook hands before Corrin turned to Glinda, looking slightly puzzled. 'A dear friend? I thought you said in your last letter that the two of you were dating.'

She blushed as she remembered that. She had, in fact, gone on the promised date with Boq, but soon she had had to acknowledge that she felt a lot of things for Boq, but that love was not among them. She had been very reluctant to tell him about that, but had decided it to be even worse if she kept him on a string and so she had solemnly told him that they needed to talk right after the date. 'I don't know how to tell you this, Boq,' she had said hesitantly, 'but I… well…'

He had smiled at her reassuringly. 'You don't love me.'

She had been a bit shocked. 'Is it that obvious?'

'I was kind of hoping you'd feel that way,' he confessed, which left her even more confused. Upon her puzzled frown, he had explained to her that he, too, had realised during their date that he didn't love her anymore. They had both changed, and she wasn't the bubbly, popular Galinda she had been back at Shiz. They had laughed about it, both of them relieved, and they had agreed to stay the best of friends. Boq would remain in the palace to help her with her duties, but as a close friend, not as a lover.

She told Corrin that she would tell him about all of that later. 'Please, sit down!' she said, gesturing to the sitting area. 'Would you like some tea?'

'Yes, please,' he replied politely, and she breezed off to find a maid who could get her some tea and biscuits. Boq eyed the man sitting across from him curiously. 'So who are you, really? I don't recall ever seeing you before.'

Corrin shook his head. 'I don't spend much time around the palace. I travel a lot throughout Oz, to be able to report back to Lady Glinda everything that's happening out there. I do love being here, though, if only because that means I get to see Glinda again. She means a lot to me.'

'I can tell,' Boq smiled, taking a mental note about this man obviously being head-over-heels in love with Glinda, even though perhaps he didn't even realise that himself.

Glinda most certainly didn't, Boq noted when she breezed back into the room, flashing them both a smile. 'So, Corrin, how are things out there?'

'Settling down,' Corrin replied, impatiently brushing his hair out of his face. It was brown and slightly too long, Boq noticed, which was why it kept falling into his face. Corrin went on with a serious expression on his face. 'Not everyone is too happy about you lifting the Animal bans, but they're not making too big a fuss of it – they trust you to do the right thing. The Munchkins are even downright happy with you – you know, for getting their country back on track. That new Governor girl is really doing an amazing job.'

'Good,' Glinda replied with a genuine smile, and Boq looked at her, then at Corrin, and then back at the blonde again. They seemed to suit each other, he had to admit; Corrin was just the kind of man he would have imagined Glinda to end up with. He was good-looking, too, with his piercing blue eyes, weathered face and muscled posture. He obviously felt some kind of warm affection for Glinda, and the feeling seemed to be reciprocal.

'He is so totally into you,' he told Glinda later when they were alone. She scowled at him. 'He is so totally not.'

'He so totally is!' All right, he needed to move on now – he was starting to sound like a girl. Perhaps he was spending too much time with Glinda after all. 'Just wait and see – he's going to ask you out sooner or later.'

'If he did…' Glinda's voice trailed away and he encouraged her to continue. 'If he did…?'

'Would you mind?' she asked softly, and he took a deep breath before shaking his head. 'No. I don't think I'm completely over you yet, but… well… you deserve to be happy, Glinda.'

She smiled at him, a bit sadly, and she hugged him. 'Thank you, Boq.'

Suddenly, he thought of Elphaba, the way she had been at Shiz, and he gave the blonde girl a grin. 'I'm so going to tell _Elphie _about this next time she visits,' he teased her, and she gasped in shock. 'Don't you dare!'

'She'll be thrillified for you, I'm sure,' Boq said, and she nodded sourly. 'I know. But first she'll laugh at me and make a few extremely sarcastic remarks about Corrin needing to get used to giant wardrobes and hundreds of shoes and above everything, lots of _pink_… No thank you.' Her face softened. 'Not yet, anyway. Not until anything actually happens.' She looked at Boq hopefully. 'Do you really think he likes me?'

He rolled his eyes. 'Sweet Oz, Glinda, he's practically drooling all over you. If he doesn't like you, then…'

'Lady Glinda?' someone called from outside the door and Boq grinned at Glinda. 'Speaking of the devil…'

'If you say but one word about this!' she hissed, hurrying over to the mirror to smoothen her dress and fix her curls before she cleared her throat and called, 'Come in, Corrin!'

'I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone, then,' Boq smirked, earning him a pointed glare from Glinda before he left the room, chuckling to himself. This was going to be quite interesting.

* * *

'I'm so sorry,' Rayenna said quietly one day as she and Elphaba were sitting in the castle library. They were alone, except for Nuki, who was sitting on Rayenna's lap purring as the Princess caressed her. Nuki had quickly befriended both the Vinkun Princesses, mostly, she had told Elphaba a few days before, because Anwen and Rayenna reminded her of Glinda and Elphaba. The green girl had smiled at that, agreeing that they were indeed a bit alike. Nuki had been spending much time with the two girls ever since – either that, or she had been in the palace kitchen, sneaking around in the hope of finding herself some meat or fish to steal.

Elphaba looked up in surprise at Rayenna's sudden words. 'What? What for?'

'It's just...' Rayenna hesitated for a moment. 'I can't even begin to imagine what you must have been going through all your life.'

Elphaba merely stared at the younger girl, shocked. No one had ever said such a thing to her – especially not someone she had only met days ago. Rayenna didn't even know her that well, and yet she seemed to know about everything that was going on in Elphaba's mind. It scared her a little – but then again, the girl was the younger sister of the only person that had _ever _known about everything that was going on in Elphaba's mind.

Rayenna blushed a little at the green girl's look. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…'

'No, no, it's okay,' Elphaba hurried to reassure the girl. 'You just… surprised me, is all.'

The Princess smiled faintly. 'Is it that uncommon for someone to recognise and sympathise with what you have been going through?'

Elphaba gave her a look, one eyebrow slightly raised, and Rayenna's smile immediately faded. 'It is, isn't it?'

The witch shrugged. 'I'm the Wicked Witch of the West – don't tell Fiyero I said that, he hates it. But the point is, no one has ever even so much as tried to think about my side of the story, let alone sympathise with me.'

'But… before that?'

'Before that I was green,' replied Elphaba, as if that explained everything. 'People never wanted to know me – I can count the people that know about my past on one hand.' She wiggled her fingers, then frowned. 'All right, maybe two, now that your family knows as well.'

'I really am sorry,' Rayenna said sincerely, and Elphaba smiled at her – one of her rare, genuine smiles. 'Thank you, Rayenna. That means a lot to me.'

Rayenna returned her smile and scratched Nuki between the ears, which made the Cat roll over with delight. Elphaba was glad that the two of them got along. She had grown fond of Fiyero's entire family – she liked being around them. Anwen indeed did remind her of Glinda in some ways – she was bouncy and just a bit hyperactive. Rayenna was much calmer and they often talked about books or politics, serious topics that the others mostly found boring, but fascinated Elphaba to no end. The King would tease her and tell her embarrassing stories from Fiyero's childhood, stories that made him flee and her double with laughter, and the Queen asked her more personal questions, being genuinely interested in Elphaba's life so far. She could tell Fiyero was happy, too, that she liked his family – and the other way around, of course.

Gaze still fixed on Rayenna and Nuki, she picked up a paper from the table and let her eyes wander over the front page absent-mindedly, only to be jerked back to reality when she read the headline of an article that covered the entire front page. _Glinda the Good attacked by Wicked Witch of the West._

Wait a minute. '_What_?'

'What?' Rayenna and Nuki repeated at the same time, confused. She looked at Elphaba, then at the paper the green girl was holding. 'What's in there?'

Elphaba quickly scanned the article. It said that Glinda was shaken, but not hurt – thank goodness. She read on and discovered that no one had actually _seen _the Wicked Witch – obviously, since Elphaba had been nowhere near the Emerald City for the past few weeks. Glinda had been attacked by a woman dressed in a black cloak, whose identity was in fact unknown, but everyone was absolutely certain it had to be the Witch. Elphaba, however, knew better. Only Morrible would do something this low – attack her best friend to get to her, to coax her out of hiding.

'That awful old hag!' she hissed, tossing the paper aside and starting to pace up and down the room. Rayenna and Nuki both eyed her in confusion. 'Elphaba?' asked the Princess. 'Will you tell us what is going on, please?'

She did, and they were both shocked. 'But… why would she attack Glinda?' asked Nuki, wrinkling her nose. 'That doesn't make any sense.'

'To get to me,' Elphaba said simply. She shook her head. 'This has to stop. First the ambush in the forest, then the hallucination spell, and now Glinda… Sooner or later, someone is going to end up getting hurt, and I will not let it get to that. Rayenna… could you fetch your parents and siblings for me? We need a plan, and we need it now.'

After filling them in on the recent developments, Elphaba locked herself in the library with a pile of magic books beside her, in the hope of finding a way to deal with Morrible. The King had his men comb out the entire Vinkus for any sign of Morrible, and the girls tried to think of a plan, discussing several possibilities, but not finding a decent one. Days passed and Elphaba grew desperate; she didn't seem to be making any progress at all, and finally, she decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air.

She took her cloak from the chair she had dumped it on earlier. Something white fluttered towards the floor, and she narrowed her eyes. Was that…? She dropped the cloak and picked up the piece of parchment from the floor. It was the spell she had copied from the Grimmerie.

She sat down and read it, all of it, thoroughly, for the first time. When she was done, she knew they had a plan. Not a pleasant one, but a plan nonetheless.

'I found something,' she announced when she dashed into the room where the Tiggular family was sitting. They all looked up expectantly.

'It's not perfect, but it's something,' she said, not explaining herself any further. She looked at Rayenna. 'Rayenna… would you mind taking care of Nuki for a while?'

The girl shook her head, clearly confused. 'No, of course not, but… why? Are you leaving?'

Elphaba nodded. 'I have to set things in motion, and I have to do it now, before anything else happens,' she explained. 'I have to go and check on Glinda, to see if she is really okay, and I need to go and have a talk with Maráni, and Master Gold… I'll probably be gone for a week or two. And no,' she said sternly, running ahead of what she knew to be Fiyero's next question. 'You're not coming with me.'

He twisted his face in an expression of determination. 'I wasn't asking.'

'I'm going alone.'

'No, you're not.'

They glared at one another, until the King cleared his throat, rather awkwardly, breaking the silence. 'Elphaba… will you be back?'

She nodded, tearing her gaze off of Fiyero and directing it at his father. 'Yes, I will. Like I said, probably in two weeks time – give or take a few days, depending on how everything turns out.'

'Fae, I'm not letting you do this by yourself,' Fiyero said, clearly not ready to drop the subject yet. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Yero… I have to do this. We have to defeat Morrible and we have to do it as soon as possible. I'm not risking your life again.'

He stuck out his chin, stubborn, and she sighed. 'Let's go over this in the morning, all right? I'm going to sleep now – I'm really rather tired. Are you coming?'

He nodded, letting the subject slip for now, and they bade his family goodnight before going up to his room.

The next morning, she was gone.


	18. The Wizard And I

**AN: Again, thank you all so much! I really loved your reviews!**

**- Wicked4Life: I'm so sorry, I completely forgot to answer your question! *blushes furiously* Please forgive me!**

**To answer both of them now:**

**1) ****The spells are a mixture of words from the spells that are used in the musical (Eleka Nahmen Nahmen Ah Tum Ah Tum Eleka Nahmen…) and words I just made up, and yes, I did throw in a Latin word every now and then, to make it sound interesting, but the spells don't really mean anything :P.**

**2) ****I honestly couldn't tell you. I love every single song from the musical; The Wizard And I is probably my favourite overall, but when I have to think Glinda/Elphaba songs, I'd probably be cliché and go with For Good. I do love What Is This Feeling too, though.**

**By the way, you'll find out about the plan in this chapter :).**

**- EvilLoveTriangle: Trust me, you will be upset again after you've read this chapter *smirk*.**

**- TazmaniaLizard: I read your review and you gave me an idea. You'll know after you're finished reading this chapter.**

**- Susana: Your wish is my command!**

**- ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness: Thank you so much! I really love that you love it so much :).**

**- James Birdsong: Thank you!**

**- Silvine Graycine: You're right... but if every character would always go for the easier, safer, more viable option, what fun would stories be? ^^**

**And no, I did not know there was a prince named Corrin in the Narnia books. To be completely honest, I really couldn't come up with good male Ozian names, so I used the name Corin from Vinkunwildflowerqueen's stories and added an extra r. All credit for the name goes to her. Thank you so much for tipping me off about her stories - I've been hooked ever since the first one of hers I read :).**

**So, enough with the impossibly long AN and on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Na-ah.**

* * *

'I can't believe she did this – _again_!' Fiyero fumed, pacing up and down the library with large, angry steps. Nuki, who was nestled in Anwen's lap, caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow at him. He grumbled in response. 'All right, let me rephrase that. I can't believe I _fell _for it – _again._'

'Well,' his father said drily. 'It does sort of prove our point about you not having a brain.'

Everyone chuckled at that – except for Fiyero himself, of course, who merely glared at his mother and turned to pace to the other side of the room again.

'Fiyero,' said his mother quietly, and he directed his gaze at her. 'I haven't known her for too long, but I think I can safely say that she is quite the stubborn young woman…'

Fiyero snorted. 'You could say that!'

'…and that she would have found some way to leave without you, even if you had foreseen this,' she finished.

Nuki nodded. 'It's true, Fiyero. Maráni said the exact same thing last time.'

'I would have found _some _way to prevent it from happening,' Fiyero declared. 'I don't know – I could have hidden her broom, or something.' He realised how stupid that sounded the moment the words left his mouth and he grumbled again. 'All right, so perhaps I couldn't have prevented her from going.'

'She'll be fine, Fiyero,' his mother reassured him, resting her hand on his shoulder to stop his pacing. 'You'll just have to be patient.'

* * *

'Glinda?' Elphaba whispered, slipping quietly into the blonde's bedroom. 'Are you here?'

'Elphie?' her friend whispered back, surprised. She lit a candle and Elphaba saw her sitting on the edge of the bed in a pink nightgown. 'What are you doing here?'

Elphaba hugged her friend. 'Oh, Glinda, I'm so glad you're okay!' She looked at the blonde questioningly. 'Was it Morrible?'

Glinda nodded sourly. 'She almost had me. Thank Oz I had so many guards with me – and Corrin, of course,' she added with a mischievous smile, which caused Elphaba to raise an eyebrow. 'Oh?'

'I told you about him, didn't I, Elphie? That he has been helping me with everything?' the blonde asked. 'Especially right after… you know… what happened at the cornfield, Fiyero being dragged away and you disappearing… he has been of great support to me. I can't even imagine what I would have done had he not been there.'

Elphaba grinned at her friend. 'I hope pink is his favourite colour.'

Glinda glowered at her. 'See, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you!' she whined. 'I knew you'd laugh at me!'

The green girl's eyes widened. 'You like him!'

'No I don't!' Glinda quickly protested, but it was too late. Elphaba, however, managed to keep her sarcastic comments to herself and smile at her friend. 'Don't even bother denying it. Don't worry, I'm not going to tease you. I'm happy for you, Glin, really. You deserve someone to love you.'

'Who said he loves me?' Glinda asked a bit unhappily. 'Well, Boq think he does, but…'

'Who would _not _love you?' Elphaba asked, and Glinda had to admit she had a point there. 'But I don't mean it like _that_... I mean, the people of Oz love me too, but how will I know if he loves me in _that _way?'

'Glinda.' Elphaba kneeled in front of her friend and took her hands in hers. 'You are the kindest, prettiest, most amazing person I've ever known. If that man doesn't love you, he doesn't deserve you.'

Glinda smiled at her, somewhat reassured. 'I can't be sure, though,' she said, sighing. 'He left again last night – but he promised he'd be back within a few days, and that he would stay longer this time.' Her face clearly lit up at that thought and Elphaba returned her smile. 'Good.' Then she became a bit more serious. 'I'd like to know some more about the attack, though.'

The blonde girl nodded. 'It happened when I was in the City, you know, telling people how _wonderful _everything is, as you once put it,' she said pointedly, and Elphaba flashed her a grin before growing serious again. 'And then suddenly this… this _woman _was hurling herself at me, and she had a knife… The guards immediately dragged her off of me, so that she couldn't hurt me, but I recognised her. It was Morrible and she looked ready to kill me on the spot, had she been able to.' Glinda shuddered at the memory and Elphaba wrapped her arms around her friend. 'I'm so sorry,' she said, he throat feeling thick with unshed tears. 'She only did it to get to me. If I'd known this…'

'Oh, Elphie, don't blame yourself!' Glinda said, hugging the green girl. 'Actually, I suspect she also wanted to get back at me – you know, for throwing her in prison. I believe she did not have the best of times down there,' she sniggered, but Elphaba didn't find it funny at all. She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, there was determination written all over her face. 'Glinda… I'm going to set a plan in motion, and I need you to promise me something.'

'Anything,' Glinda said immediately, and Elphaba smiled a bit sadly at that. 'All right. If anything should happen to me… I'm not saying it's going to, but the possibility is there and so I need you to promise this… will you make sure Fiyero is all right?'

The blonde looked at her, puzzled. 'What?'

Elphaba sighed. 'Okay, the blonde version – if I die, will you clear his name for me?'

Glinda frowned, offended. 'Hey, I may be blonde, I'm not stu- what do you mean, if you die?' Her voice went up until she sounded like she had in her Galinda days, squealing. 'And what do you mean, clear his name?'

'I mean,' Elphaba said patiently, 'that if something should happen to me, I don't want to drag him down with me. Right now, they think of him as a traitor, but if I'm gone, I want him to have a chance to be happy again, and for that, I need you to clear his name. Tell the people I put him under a love spell, or something like that. They'll believe it, and he won't be blamed for his actions later because everyone will think it was because of that spell.'

Glinda looked at her friend admiringly. 'How did you get so smart?'

'I'm not sure if it was the reading, the studying, or the _thinking_,' Elphaba replied drily, which made Glinda giggle before she grew serious again. 'Elphie… How big is the chance that… you know… something should happen to you?'

Elphaba looked out the window for a moment, a grim expression on her face. 'I'm not sure, Glinda. Not yet, anyway.'

'Oh, Elphie,' Glinda said in a choked voice, hugging her friend. Elphaba hugged her back, but pressed on. 'You promise?'

'Promise,' Glinda said, close to tears. Elphaba tried to reassure her before telling her that she really had to leave now. 'There are lots of things that need to be done,' she said. 'But we'll see each other again, I promise.' They hugged each other one more time before she left again, this time heading towards the Great Kells.

On her way there, she couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving Fiyero this way, but she had felt like she didn't have a choice. She didn't want him to come with her, and knowing him, he would never have let her leave on her own. She winced slightly at the thought of how angry he would be when he would wake up and not find her next to him, but this simply had to be done. This was bigger than him, bigger than both of them – she only hoped he would forgive her for doing it.

She landed near the secret entrance, knocked on the rock door, greeted Rro and kept going until she was in front of the big doors again. The same guard was there, glaring at her. 'Miss Rose to see Master Gold,' she announced, and instead of making a fuss like last time, he merely nodded and let her in. Gold seemed to have been expecting her, which didn't really surprise her – sometimes she thought the man could read minds.

'Elphaba,' he said, once they were alone. 'How are you?'

'I've been better,' she replied truthfully and he turned to look at her. 'What is on your mind?'

'I found a way to kill Morrible,' she said simply, and he looked stunned. 'You have?' It didn't surprise her in the least that he knew about Morrible being free and immortal – as the leader of the Resistance, it was his job to know those things. She quickly explained to him what she had found, and he frowned. 'This plan is not without danger, Elphaba. Are you sure there is no other way?'

She shook her head. 'I've been combing out every magic book I could get my hands on, including the Grimmerie, and this is the only solution that came up. I know it's dangerous, but it has to happen.'

'And obviously you're planning to do it yourself.' It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. Gold knew Elphaba pretty well by now. They had spent much time together, both being important members of the Resistance, and she was like a younger sister to him. He hated to put her in danger, but he knew she was capable of making her own decisions and arguing with her would only make things worse.

'Of course,' Elphaba said, as if that was a ridiculous question. 'I couldn't very well put anyone else in danger because Morrible is trying to get to _me_, right?'

'Right,' he agreed reluctantly. She smiled at him. 'Don't worry. I'll be okay.'

He sighed and she took a closer look at him. When she had first met him, she had though him to be about forty years old, but she now knew he just looked older than he actually was; he couldn't be very much older than she was, around thirty at the most, but there were slight wrinkles around his eyes and he always looked a bit tired, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. She knew the feeling – she suspected that was why they were such a great team; they both cared, they both wanted to help, and they would both put everything else aside, including their own safety, to save the ones they loved.

His eyes met hers and she couldn't help but note the weariness inside them. 'Just hang on,' she said to him, gently squeezing his hand in a reassuring gesture. 'Let me deal with Morrible. Once she is gone, our tasks will slowly become superfluous – Oz is doing well under the reign of Glinda the Good. Soon, she'll be able to manage without the Resistance assisting her – even though she never actually knew we _were _assisting her.'

Gold laughed softly. 'Sweet Oz, Elphaba, please be careful,' he said, enveloping her in a brief hug. She stepped back and locked eyes with him. 'One more thing,' she said solemnly, immediately catching his full attention with her grave look.

'Promise me,' she started, trying not to think of how much the success of her plan would depend on promises several people made, 'that… Let's put it this way: One of the possible outcomes of this situation is that I will be able to break Morrible's immortality spell, but that I won't be around to finish her off.' The spell she had found would break Morrible's immortality, but would not kill her – they'd still have to do that afterwards. 'Then please finish her off for me at the first chance you get.'

'Of course,' Gold immediately consented, and she gave him a tired smile. 'Thank you.'

'You shouldn't leave now,' he said, gesturing towards the door. 'It's already midmorning – they'll see you. You should stay here until dark.'

She hesitated, and he pressed on, 'Come on, I know there's more people you need to see to be able to execute that plan of yours, but I'm sure those people can wait a few hours. Besides, you've got some stressful days ahead of you – you should sleep a little while you still have the chance.'

She mulled over the idea for a moment more before finally nodding. 'All right.'

Gold smiled. 'I'll have someone show you a room.'

* * *

'Fabala!' Maráni exclaimed as soon as Elphaba entered the Animal hideout. Elphaba smiled broadly and went to hug the big Wolf. 'It's good to see you again, Maráni.'

'Please tell me Nuki is with you,' Maráni asked worriedly and Elphaba chuckled. 'She's back at Adurin Iir with Fiyero's family, being spoiled by his sisters.'

Maráni looked relieved. 'Good. I'm definitely going to have a word with her next time I see her – she had me worried sick when she just disappeared. As if one small note would be enough to put my mind at ease!'

'How is everyone?' asked Elphaba as she followed the Wolf to a room where they could sit and talk. Maráni nodded. 'Fine. Doctor Dillamond seems really happy to have picked up his medicine again, and… well, everyone else is fine, too. Will you stay long enough for the cubs to see you? They'll be thrillified.'

'Of course,' Elphaba agreed immediately, and Maráni smiled at her. 'Good. Your… Oscar is fine, too. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you.'

'As much as the mere idea opposes me, I think I might just be glad to see him, too,' Elphaba admitted. Maráni laughed. 'Oh my, Elphaba. Are you feeling all right?'

The green girl glared at her; then she sighed. 'Where is he? I need to talk to him.' She felt like a big rock was settling in her stomach. Of all the conversations with all the people she had had over the past few days, this was the one she dreaded the most. Master Gold was an exception in leaving her free to make her own decisions, even if he wasn't happy about them, and she knew he wasn't – he always referred to her as his 'little sister' and she knew he cared for her. She cared for him, too – he was like the brother she never had – but at least he understood why she had to do this. Glinda… well… she didn't know the whole story. She would have never let Elphaba carry through with it if she had, and neither would Fiyero.

She needed Oscar, however, to know the whole truth and work with her, so following the directions Maráni had given her, she found the former Wizard of Oz outside, enjoying the first rays of sun of the year.

'Oscar?' she said quietly and he opened his eyes, surprised, but he grinned widely as he saw her. 'Elphaba! To be quite honest, I didn't think you'd actually be coming back for me,' he confessed, and her eyes grew dark for a moment when she replied just a bit sharply, 'Some people _do _keep their promises, you know.'

He winced and she softened a bit. 'Never mind. Forget it. I need to talk to you about something.'

She sat herself on the ground next to him and told him everything what had happened with Morrible so far. He listened without interrupting her once. Then she told him of the spell she found in the Grimmerie, the one that would break Morrible's immortality, and he nodded. 'So what's the catch?'

She looked at him in surprise. 'What?'

He laughed softly. 'Oh, come on, Elphaba. I know you well enough now to know there must be a catch, or you wouldn't even be sitting here talking to me. What is it?'

She hesitated for a moment. 'See for yourself,' she said finally, pulling her copy of the spell from her pocket and handing it to him. He accepted the piece of parchment and read it thoroughly, frowning, before turning his gaze back to her. 'Does this mean what I think it means?'

She nodded patiently. 'I believe it does, yes.'

He looked at her pointedly and she sighed. 'I know. But I have to do it. I have to stop Morrible. You know her as well as I do, perhaps even better – you know what she's capable of. And now that she's immortal, as well…' Her voice trailed away, but she didn't finish her speech – she knew he got her point.

'Please explain this to me,' he said, gesturing towards the parchment. 'How _exactly _does this spell work?'

'Well,' she begun, 'as you read yourself, it has to be cast from the netherworld, otherwise it won't work.'

'The netherworld,' he repeated timidly. 'You mean you have to be dead to cast it.'

'Technically, yes,' she immediately agreed. 'That's what the first spell is for – it's meant to send someone off to the netherworld for two minutes, max. While there, the second spell has to be cast – the one that will strip Morrible of her immortality.'

'So you'll be dead for two minutes, during which you cast the spell, and then you'll wake up again?'

She hesitated for a moment. 'Well… yeah. That's the plan. And – I can't believe I'm saying this – I need you to help me with it.'

He looked surprised. 'How?'

'Keep my body safe while I'm working on it – I wouldn't want anyone to think I'm actually dead. And… well… I need you to be there in case something goes wrong. So you can tell Maráni, and Glinda… and Fiyero.' She looked a bit embarrassed. 'Most of all, though… there's this… slight… _thing_ that could go wrong.'

Now, he gave her a rather sarcastic look much like the ones she usually gave _him_. 'What, Elphaba?'

She sighed. 'After I cast the spell that – kills me, to put it bluntly, I can't come back on my own. I can stay in the netherworld for two minutes exactly before my body and soul end up permanently detached – in other words, before I actually die. Someone in _this _world must cast a spell to bring me back before those two minutes end.'

He gaped at her. 'You want _me_ to cast the spell to bring you back to life?'

She shrugged lightly, as if it wasn't such a big deal – which, of course, it was. 'Unless you want me to die, yes.' It crossed her mind that he might actually want that to happen, but she dismissed the thought quickly. She knew now that he truly did feel guilty about everything that had happened – he didn't want her dead anymore, those times had passed now.

'But… I don't have any powers!' he protested.

She grimaced. 'Yeah… that's the catch, I guess. I'm placing my bets on the possibility that you do, in fact, have powers – I figured mine didn't just drop from the sky. There had to be some genetics involved. I think you have some kind of powers, even though they haven't manifested themselves, and therefore, you _will _be able to bring me back. It doesn't matter how much powers you actually possess – as long as you possess any powers at all, the spell will work.'

'And if it turns out you 'placed your bets' wrong and I really don't have powers?' he demanded, obviously not liking where she was going with this.

She smiled faintly. 'Then you can go and tell Oz the Wicked Witch is finally dead for real.'

She could tell he didn't like that – in fact, he got angry with her. 'Elphaba, why are you even willing to take this bet? If you're so determined to carry this through, why don't ask, say, Glinda, to bring you back? You _know _she has magical powers – you're needlessly putting yourself at risk here!'

Elphaba shook her head violently. 'It's not needless! For one, Glinda would never agree to do this. But more importantly, if she does, there are still risks involved. If something goes wrong, she'll be devastated. She would blame herself. I can't put that kind of burden on her shoulders, Oscar. And I don't know anyone else who has magical abilities – besides Morrible herself, who obviously is not going to be very helpful with this. Right now, you're my safest bet.'

'"Safest" doesn't necessarily mean "safe",' he pointed out, and she nodded. 'I know. Not at all, actually, in this case. But as I said, I need to do it.'

'Does anyone even know about this?'

She hesitated. 'The leader of the Resistance does. I didn't tell Maráni, or Glinda, or Fiyero, obviously – they would never let me carry through with this, let alone help me.'

'And what makes you think I would?' he demanded. She looked at him pointedly. 'Because you owe me,' she said simply. 'Big time.'

He didn't protest at that – he knew she was right. He _did _owe her; in fact, nothing he could ever do would make up for what he had done to her in the past. And so he knew that, even if he didn't like the idea – _at all _– he had to help her. Because she was right: he owed her. Big time.

'Fine,' he consented finally. 'I wish I could stop you from doing this, but since I clearly can't, I'll help you.'

'Thank you,' she said simply, and he looked at her. 'When?'

'Not yet.' She smiled and got up, brushing the dirt from the skirt of her dress. 'I'm staying here for a couple more days, and I promised Fiyero I would come back… I'll let you know.'

He nodded and she knew he was watching her as she disappeared into the network of caves that was the Animal hideout.

As soon as she got inside, however, Maráni came running towards her. 'Fabala…' She obviously had to tell her something, but the Wolf didn't seem to be able to find the words. 'What is it, Maráni?' Elphaba urged her and Maráni looked at her sympathetically. 'Little one… A few Monkeys just got back from the Emerald City. There's been another assault on Glinda.'

Elphaba paled visibly. 'Is she all right?'

Maráni shook her head. 'I'm so sorry, Fabala,' she said gently. 'She's been critically injured. They're not sure if she's going to make it.'

* * *

**I'd love some more murderious reviews! :D**


	19. Don't Stop Me Now

**AN: Thank you all very much for reviewing!**

**Yeah... for some twisted reason I like hurting both Glinda and Elphaba. Is that sadistic of me? (I don't think so - I happen to know lots of Wicked fanfic authors enjoy torturing our favourite witches :). Still, I find it kind of disturbing, but I'm going to carry through with it nonetheless.)**

**And just so you know: yes, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness, I enjoy torturing you, my readers, too :D.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not that girl.**

* * *

When Elphaba carefully peeked into Glinda's bedroom, she was relieved to find Doctor Quork sitting by her friend's bedside. She snuck into the room, making the curtains rustle, and he looked up at the sound and smiled sadly when he saw her. 'Elphaba.'

'How is she?' Elphaba asked immediately, not wanting to waste any time with formalities. Quork sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'I won't lie to you, Elphaba… she's not well.' He sighed again. 'The irony of it… she was just giving a speech to reassure the Ozians that she hadn't been harmed in the last attempt on her life,' he explained in response to her puzzled look. 'They were all so happy to see for themselves that their ruler wasn't hurt in any way, and then, suddenly, there were knifes flying through the air… There were so many guards with her, but it happened so fast and the knifes were very well aimed – it almost seemed like magic…'

_It probably was,_ thought Elphaba, crossing over to the bedside and blinking back her tears when she saw Glinda lying there, face pale, eyes closed. The only sign that proved her to still be alive was the just noticeable rising and falling of her chest.

She clutched Glinda's hand and buried her face in the blankets as she was no longer able to hold back her tears. 'Oh, Glinda… I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry,' she whispered, her voice sounding choked. Glinda didn't move at all and Doctor Quork quietly got up to give the green girl some privacy, but Elphaba looked up again before he had reached the door. 'No!' she said a bit desperately. 'Stay here.' She wanted to have the doctor nearby, in case Glinda would need him.

He hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded and returned to his chair. Elphaba, in the meantime, gently kissed Glinda's forehead before whirling around and starting to banter through the room, towards Glinda's wardrobe, rummaging around for a moment before finding what she had been looking for. She was already flicking through the pages of the Grimmerie before she had even returned to her seat.

Finally, she found the healing spell Glinda had used on her some time ago, and she softly started to chant. When she was done, she peered over at Glinda, and a sense of relief washed over her as she noticed some colour had returned to the blonde's face and her breathing had evened out. Elphaba let out her own breath as she put down the Grimmerie and clutched Glinda's hand again. The healing spell had worked. It still wasn't perfect, but she hoped it would elevate Glinda's chanced at healing fully.

While she was sitting there, there was a faint knock on the door and someone came in. 'Doctor Quork?'

Elphaba immediately jumped and tried to hide in the closet, but by the time she even got there, the man had already entered the room. He didn't see her right away, though. 'I just wanted to see how she was,' he said softly to the doctor, who smiled at the newcomer. 'She's getting better, Corrin,' he said, his eyes flickering towards Elphaba for a moment. Corrin turned around and his eyes locked with Elphaba's, and she couldn't help herself – she just stood there and gaped at him.

Strong jaw line, thick, brown hair, piercing blue eyes – he was quite handsome, if you looked past the mask of tiredness that was clearly visible on his face. But that wasn't why she was still gaping at him, mouth slightly open.

He smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. 'Elphaba. I knew you wouldn't be far behind me as soon as you'd find out what had happened.'

'_You _are Glinda's love interest?!' she finally managed to choke out and his face lit up at that. 'She said that?'

The witch merely glared at him, still in shock. Quork looked at her and then at Corrin, looking confused. 'What is going on here? Do you two know each other?'

'You could say that!' Elphaba spat as she narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. 'I can't believe you didn't _tell _me about any of this! I thought you trusted me!'

'I did… I do,' he hastened to reassure her. 'It's just… Hey, wait a minute,' he said, frowning at her. 'You _did _know, Elphaba. I told you I've been working for the government – well, spying on the Wizard – and that Glinda asked me to keep doing so when she took over the reign of Oz.'

'But you didn't tell me you were in _love _with her!' Elphaba screeched, wincing when she realised she might wake up Glinda with her screaming. Luckily, the blonde only stirred and sighed once before lying still again and Elphaba directed her gaze back at Corrin, who was looking a bit sheepish. 'Well… yeah. I guess you're right. Sorry.'

'Could you explain this to me?' Quork asked, clearly getting impatient. 'How do you two know each other?'

Elphaba turned to face him. 'Doctor Quork,' she said sarcastically, 'meet _Corrin. _Otherwise known as Master Gold, the leader of the Resistance.'

Corrin grinned sheepishly at the doctor. 'Hi.'

'_Corrin _is Master Gold?' Quork asked incredulously. Elphaba nodded sourly. 'Imagine my surprise. Although I think you _do _match personalities, you and Glinda,' she said to him. 'And I think it's really cute, although just a tiny bit gross, considering I think of you as a brother and her being my best friend and all… I do think it's a good fit, don't get me wrong - but I just can't believe you didn't tell me!'

He grimaced. 'I didn't think my personal interest in Glinda was very relevant for the cause,' he protested. She glared at him and he surrendered. 'All right. Being friends and all, I suppose I should have told you.'

Glinda stirred again and Elphaba nearly ran over to the bedside. The blonde's eyes fluttered open. 'Elphie?'

'Hey, Glin' the green girl said, smiling, tears in her eyes despite her attempts to hold them back. 'How are you feeling?'

'I'm dizzy,' Glinda muttered. 'What happened?'

'Morrible attacked you again,' Elphaba told her, her voice breaking, and she gently squeezed Glinda's hand. 'Just rest, okay? You'll be all right.'

'Elphie?'

'Yes?'

'I had the strangest dream.'

'Did you, now?' Elphaba asked gently, stroking back a blonde curl from her friend's face. Glinda frowned. 'Yeah… I dreamt that Corrin and I are going to be married.'

Elphaba chuckled softly, despite her tears. 'Did he know that?'

Glinda let out a soft giggle – a sound that reassured Elphaba more than anything. 'He did. He actually asked me this time.'

'Well, what do you know,' the green girl said, smiling. 'That might just happen someday. Sometimes, dreams do come true, you know,' she added, raising her eyebrows meaningfully at Gold, who, to her utter satisfaction, actually blushed.

Glinda smiled, too, as her eyes closed again. 'Yeah…' She drifted back off to sleep, and Elphaba took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. Before she could say something, however, there came another knock on the door. Luckily, this time, she was able to hide behind a curtain just in time.

'Doctor Quork?' she heard someone, probably a servant, ask tentatively. 'There is a man here who wants to see Lady Glinda. He says he's a friend of hers, from the Vinkus…' Elphaba, from her position behind the curtain, sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course Fiyero had come here.

'Shall I let him in?' the servant continued. Quork was apparently smart enough to figure out who this friend of Glinda's would be, because she heard him say, 'Yes, I know who he is. Please let him in.'

She heard faint voices and footsteps heading in their direction. Then a door closed and Fiyero asked anxiously, 'How is she?'

Doctor Quork told him what had happened and she heard him sigh. 'Oh, Glinda…' There was silence for a while, before he asked, 'Is Elphaba here, too?'

She took that as a sign that the coast was entirely clear now and she peeked around the curtain. Upon seeing Fiyero, she looked at him a bit sheepishly. 'I'm here.'

Wordlessly, he walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms. 'How are you doing?' he asked, his blue eyes concerned. Elphaba sighed and pulled away. She couldn't stop her fingers from trembling when she lifted them up to run them through her hair. 'I'm holding up. I came straight away when I found out what had happened to Glinda, I was really worried… But I think she'll be okay now.'

Doctor Quork nodded and smiled at her. 'Thanks to that spell of yours, Elphaba, she'll be fine.'

'Well, since it was my fault she was attacked in the first place, it's only right that I try to fix it, too, right?' she asked miserably.

Fiyero took a deep breath and she knew he was going to lecture her about how this was definitely _not _her fault, even though she knew it was, but to everyone's surprise, Gold – _Corrin_, she corrected herself - spoke up first. 'Elphaba. Stop being ridiculous. Stop blaming yourself for things that weren't your fault. Morrible is just an awful old hag – she doesn't even need a reason to attack people, and in case you forgot, she actually _had _a reason to attack Glinda – besides her being your best friend. Prison, remember?'

'Finally, someone on my side,' she heard Fiyero sigh, and she smiled faintly at that. Corrin turned towards Fiyero with a smile. 'You must be Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, after hearing Elphaba rattle on about you for years.'

She blushed furiously. 'I did not!'

'Ever since that Lion Cub incident?' Corrin reminded her innocently, and she grumbled. 'One more word, and I'm going to turn you into a toad.'

Fiyero bent towards her. 'How does he know about the Lion Cub thing?'

She explained to him who Corrin really was and he looked genuinely impressed. 'The famous Master Gold. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, too.'

'Would you mind moving to the sitting area?' Doctor Quork, who was examining Glinda, asked. 'She really needs her rest, and four of us in here with her…'

They immediately knew what he meant and Elphaba and Fiyero left without further comment, but Corrin hesitated. 'Can I please… stay with her?'

Quork looked up at him kindly and nodded. 'Of course.'

* * *

Corrin was still sitting next to the bed when Glinda woke up, a few hours later. She smiled faintly when she saw him. 'Hey.'

'Glinda!' he exclaimed, quickly jumping to his feet and taking her hand, which made her blush ever so slightly. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice. 'I was so worried about you! Are you feeling all right?'

'I'm okay,' she murmured. 'But my stomach hurts. And my side. And my shoulder. And my hip. And my arm, too,' she complained, and she saw Corrin trying to stifle a laugh. She looked at him warily. 'If it didn't hurt so much, I'd slap you.'

He merely smiled at her and she frowned slightly. 'Elphie said Morrible attacked me again… what did she do?'

'She used knives,' Corrin told her, sounding a bit choked. 'Your injuries were pretty bad, Glin. You almost died. Quork said if it hadn't been for the healing spell Elphaba cast on you…'

Glinda smiled again. 'I guess that makes us about even, then. ' She tried to push herself up and pulled a face. 'Ouch,' she moaned, and he gently helped her sit up a little. 'Better?'

'Yes, thank you.' He was still holding her and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to stop the room from spinning, resting her head against his chest. 'It hurts,' she complained softly and he gently brushed her hair from her face. 'I know. But we're all here to help you – me, Doctor Quork, Elphaba, Fiyero… You're going to be fine, Glinda.'

She sighed wearily and before he could help himself, Corrin lowered his face to hers and kissed her softly on the lips.

When he pulled away, she was staring at him, shocked and wide-eyed, mouth agape. When she still didn't respond after a few clock-ticks, he started to get worried. 'Glinda? Are you okay?'

'Get Elphie for me, please,' she whispered, her eyes still wide, and he immediately nodded and dashed towards the sitting area, convinced that something was wrong. 'Elphaba? She's asking for you. I… I think something's wrong,' he said and upon seeing the concern in his eyes, Elphaba got up and rushed over to Glinda's bedroom. 'Glinda? Are you okay?' She, too, started to worry when she noticed how pale her friend looked.

'Close the door for me, please?' the blonde asked softly, and Elphaba obeyed before turning around to face her friend. Glinda's expression had changed completely – she now looked beyond herself with excitement and she started to squeal with delight as she used to do back in her Galinda days, an impossibly loud and high-pitched sound. 'Oh my Oz, Elphie!' she squealed. 'He _kissed _me! Corrin actually just _kissed _me!' She looked about ready to jump from her bed and do one of her stupid little Galinda-dances with joy, but thankfully, Elphaba was able to convince her to stay down. 'Sweet Oz, Glinda, _that's _what this is all about?' she demanded, secretly relieved that nothing was wrong. 'You scared Corrin to death – he looked convinced you were going to die or something.'

Glinda giggled. 'Oh, I'm sorry, Elphie, but – you're my best friend and you needed to know and… I didn't really know what to say to him afterwards,' she then confessed, looking horrified. 'Oh, my… what does that mean? I _always _know what to say to a boy – or, well, man, in this case, but still… He kissed me and then I just… _stared _at him! Do you think my brain has been effected by the attack?' she asked anxiously, and Elphaba couldn't keep herself from chuckling. 'Glinda, those knives didn't even come near your head. And in case you're wondering, you didn't hit the ground when you fell, either – I heard Corrin caught you just in time.'

Glinda beamed. 'He's so amazing!'

'Oh my, Glinda,' Elphaba said in mock surprise. 'You actually sound like you're in love!'

The blonde blinked. 'I do, don't I? Perhaps you're right… But I've never been in love before – not really, anyway,' she added, grimacing as she thought of her engagement to Fiyero not too long ago. 'What if I do it wrong?'

Elphaba laughed softly. 'Oh, Glin,' she said fondly, hugging her friend. 'You can't do love wrong. It just happens to you. Stop worrying - just relax and enjoy it.' She looked at the blonde a bit sternly. 'And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to send Corrin back in. I'm guessing he's wearing a ditch in the floor right now with worry – you should tell him you're all right.'

Corrin and Fiyero, however, had already overheard practically the entire conversation – Glinda's loud squeaks were difficult to miss – and Corrin was beaming when he came back into the room and went over to Glinda. Sniggering, Elphaba snuck past him to the sitting area, where Fiyero was still waiting. He smiled at her and slid his arms around her waist, drawing her close. '"You can't do love wrong"?' he asked teasingly. 'I've heard you say otherwise in the past.'

She rolled her eyes, but then rested her head against his shoulder. 'I may have learned a few lessons in the past few months,' she admitted, and she felt rather than saw him grin. '_Finally. _I was wondering if my efforts would ever pay off. There are still a few more lessons you need to learn, though – unless you finally believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful?'

She made a face at him, even though he couldn't see that because her head was still on his shoulder. 'Not going to happen.'

'In that case, I'm not yet done teaching you,' he said cheerfully, and she smiled as she looked up at him and kissed him. 'I'm glad.'

* * *

They all stayed at the palace for a while. Glinda had somehow persuaded Corrin to share the bed with her, with which he was not quite comfortable, being the gentleman he was, but everyone could tell that both of them secretly loved sleeping next to each other. Glinda, especially, felt protected with his arms around her when she slept and when she woke up – she couldn't help but be scared sometimes that Morrible would come back in the middle of the night to finish the job. She never did, but Glinda felt safer with Corrin near, and they both enjoyed each other's company.

Elphaba and Fiyero stayed as well – in secret, obviously; they'd made a bed out of pillows and blankets on the floor of the sitting area, the door of which Corrin would lock carefully every night so that no one might come in and discover them. After a week or so, however, Glinda really seemed to be getting better, and when Doctor Quork announced to her that she was allowed to get up a few hours a day, Elphaba decided she should leave.

'Where are you going?' Glinda asked when her friend told her this. 'Back to Adurin Iir with Fiyero?'

Elphaba hesitated – she hated lying to her friend, but she couldn't very well tell her the truth. 'No,' she finally conceded. 'I'm going after Morrible.'

Glinda gasped at that, her eyes wide with horror and shock. 'Elphie, no!'

The green girl was quick to reassure her. 'I found a way to beat her,' she explained briefly. 'I would have took more time to plan it out carefully, but her attacking you, Glin, for the second time nonetheless, is the final straw. I just can't wait any longer and risk something happening to you again – or to Fiyero.'

Glinda understood this. 'Do you want the Grimmerie back?' she asked suddenly. 'I mean, it's still rightfully yours… and you might need it.'

Elphaba smiled at her friend and squeezed her hand. 'No, thank you, Glin. I gave it to you – it belongs to you now. I do like to see it one more time, though.' She would like to have a look at the original anti-immortality spell she was about to cast, in case she had missed something in her copy. 'And… this may seem an odd request, but… I'd rather like my hat back.'

Glinda quirked an eyebrow at her. 'That hideoteous old thing?'

Elphaba merely smiled. 'I'm rather fond of it – you know that. If only because you gave it to me and it sort of marks the beginning of our friendship. Plus, I think it really suits my reputation as a Wicked Witch,' she smirked, which only made Glinda frown. 'Elphie…'

'I know, I know,' the green girl sighed. 'Oz, you're just like Fiyero sometimes.'

Now it was Glinda's turn to smile. 'It's in my closet. Right next to the Grimmerie.'

Elphaba flashed her a smile and went over to the wardrobe to fetch both the book and the hat. They sat in silence for a while, Elphaba reading and Glinda thinking, but finally, the witch closed the book and carefully placed it back in its hiding spot. Then she placed the hat on top of her head, took her broom and looked at the blonde. 'Please tell Fiyero not to worry.'

Glinda gaped at her. 'You're leaving? And you're not telling him…'

'I need to do this alone,' Elphaba said simply. She smirked. 'And I found it to be much easier to sneak off without him knowing than to argue with him and convince him to stay voluntarily.'

Glinda shook her head disapprovingly. 'Elphie…'

'I'll be back,' the green girl promised, and before Glinda could so much as blink, she had gone out onto the balcony and kicked off, leaping high into the sky. Glinda sighed and sank back against her pillows.

'Just great,' the blonde muttered to herself. 'In front of me the horrendible task of telling Fiyero his girlfriend took off again – he is _so _not going to like this.' She sighed again and looked outside, where Elphaba had become a mere dot at the horizon. She grumbled.

'You owe me for this one, Elphaba Thropp.'

* * *

The Wizard was sitting outside on the bench again, lost in thought, when he heard someone approach. As soon as he saw Elphaba coming his way, he knew what she was here for.

'Now?' he asked, getting up and waiting for her to catch up with him.

She nodded grimly, determination written all over her face. 'Now.'

* * *

**Drama is about to kick in! Oh my, you guys are _so _going to hate me somewhere along the next few chapters *smirks*.**

**Pwease review!**


	20. Horrible Morrible

**AN: Twenty chapters! Yay! Not to mention 98 reviews - hurray as well! Virtual brownies and hugs for the one who gets me the 100th review!**

**I want to thank you, while you still kinda like me, for reviewing and/or following this story, and/or for adding it to your favourites. It really means a lot to me. Also, I'd like to apologise in advance for what I'm about to do. I _know _you're all going to hate me after this chapter, because _this _is the one where the drama really kicks in (like, really, _lots _and lots of drama), and therefore I want to warn you beforehand: if after this chapter, this story won't be updated anymore, it's because one of you will have killed me - either virtually, magically, or just for real :D.**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

* * *

'I _swear_,' Fiyero promised, and Glinda didn't doubt for a clock-tick that he was being serious, 'that as soon as I see her again, I'm going to hide that broom. And the crutch. And tie her down. And lock her up. Although somehow I doubt even _that _would stop her from sneaking off again.'

Glinda grimaced. 'Fiyero...'

'I know,' he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. 'I just… I _hate _this. I feel like she's shutting me out, just when I started to think she was letting me in.'

'She is,' Glinda hastened to reassure him. 'I know she is. But she's also very independent and protective, and she doesn't want anything to happen to you. I know you don't like that, but you know what she's like.'

Corrin, meanwhile, was feeling torn. He saw the genuine concern for Elphaba in both Fiyero and Glinda's eyes, and although he had promised Elphaba to let her go on with her plan without telling anyone about it, he wasn't happy at all with what she had done now. They both knew her plan could be very dangerous, and now she had left to execute it without even so much as saying goodbye to any of them. What if it went wrong? What if she would end up dead? Glinda would be devastated – especially when she would find out that he, Corrin, had known about it and had chosen not to tell her. He wasn't sure he could bear that.

On the other hand, he had made a promise to one of his fellow Resistance members in a professional setting. He shouldn't allow his personal feelings to get in the way.

But he couldn't help but look at Glinda and think of how she would hate him for not telling her something of this magnitude, especially if it would cost her the best friend she ever had. And Fiyero… Even Corrin could see that the Vinkun Prince truly loved Elphaba. _How could she leave him without even so much as saying goodbye? Was she that confident that her plan would work out the way she had planned it to? Or did she do it because it was easier for her this way, less emotional? _He knew Elphaba long enough to know that was something she would do.

He sighed. For the first time in a long time, Master Corrin Gold, the leader of the Resistance, did not have the faintest clue what to do.

'Corrin?' Glinda asked, eyeing him apprehensively with those beautiful azure eyes of hers. 'Are you all right?'

He smiled at her, took her hand and brushed her knuckles with his lips. 'I'm fine, my Lady Glinda.'

'Oh, I'm _your _Lady Glinda now, aren't I?' she teased him, blushing. His smile broadened. 'You would be if I had any say in it.'

Her eyes went wide and she squeaked. 'Oh, Corrin! That's so romantic!'

'Hello?' Fiyero said, one eyebrow raised, waving his hands in the air. 'Back to my problem, please?'

'Oh, does someone want attention?' Glinda giggled and he shot her a look. She held up her hands in surrender. 'All right, all right. But Fiyero… There's nothing you can do but wait for her to come back. Again,' she added, grimacing. 'I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault.' He sighed, the expression on his face defeated. 'I just wish I knew what she's up to.'

'She's going after Morrible,' Glinda said quietly, and Fiyero whipped his head towards her. 'What did you say?'

'She told me before she left,' Glinda explained in a soft tone of voice. 'She found a way to kill Morrible. She's off to do it right now.'

'She told me she had a plan…' Fiyero said thoughtfully. 'But… Do you know _what _her plan is, Glin?'

The blonde shook her head. 'I have no idea. Didn't she tell you?' Worry clouded her blue eyes. 'Usually, it's _not _a good sign for her not to tell us what she's up to. It usually means that whatever it is, it's dangerous.'

Fiyero blanched at that and he sank into a chair. 'Oh, Oz… what is she _doing_?'

He sounded so defeated, so sad and worried, that Corrin could no longer help himself. 'She's at the Animal hideout,' he blurted out. 'In the Great Kells. The Wizard – Oscar – is helping her to cast the spell. If you take a horse and leave now, you might be able to get there just in time.'

Both Glinda and Fiyero gaped at him. 'She _told _you?'

Corrin quickly explained to them the extent of his relationship with Elphaba, and what she had told him she was about to do. 'I promised her not to say anything,' he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. 'But… this isn't _right_. You should at least have a chance to say goodbye, just in case…' His voice trailed away, but by then, Fiyero had already leapt to his feet and ran out of the room.

* * *

'You're taking a huge risk with this, you know,' Oscar said. 'Are you _absolutely _sure you want to carry through with this?'

She sighed impatiently and turned to face him. '_Yes_, I'm sure. Would you stop whining already?' she demanded, and he looked at the green-skinned girl. The mere expression on her face told him he wouldn't be able to talk her out of this, and so he gave in. 'All right. Fine. Suit yourself. I'll do whatever you want me to do – I owe you that much, as you so kindly pointed out to me.'

She smirked and halted in front of a wooden door – the door that lead to Oscar's former prison cell. They entered the small room and Elphaba carefully shut the door behind her. 'No one will look for us here,' she told Oscar, walking over to the one bed that was in the room and sitting down on it. 'Ready?'

'Ready when you are,' he said, ignoring the odd feeling in his stomach, and she nodded and gave him the spell that was supposed to bring her back. She studied her own two spells once more – the one that would send her to the netherworld and the one that she would have to cast while there, the one that would break Morrible's immortality. Then she put down the pieces of parchment and lay down. 'All right, then. Here goes nothing,' she said, closing her eyes, and she started to chant. '_Nahmen Ay Muerte…_'

She had barely spoken three words, however, when she was interrupted by someone banging down the door and dashing into the room, looking about ready to kill her. She gasped and bolted upright. 'Fiyero!'

'What in Oz' name do you think you're doing?' he demanded, bantering across the room and glaring at her furiously. 'I can't believe I had to hear from _Corrin_, of all people, that you were about to kill yourself!'

'It's not killing myself!' she protested. 'It's just…'

'I know, Elphaba!' he raged on. 'He told us! And thank goodness he did, because Oz knows _you _didn't!'

She flinched at his tone. 'Fiyero…'

'Don't you 'Fiyero' me!' he shouted. 'What if I had come too late? What if you had _died_, Fae?'

It was only then she realised that he was yelling at her not because he was actually mad at her, but because he had been scared to lose her. She was a bit taken aback by the hurt showing in his eyes when he said, very quietly suddenly, 'How could you do this to me, Fae?'

She got up from the bed and tentatively took a few steps towards him, gently resting her hand on his arm. 'Yero? I'm sorry,' she said softly, biting her lower lip. She had to admit, she hadn't really thought that part through – the part where she might die and hadn't even said goodbye to him. But the truth was, she was still adjusting to the fact that there were actually people now who cared for her, whose feelings she had to take into account when it came to these matters, and she easily seemed to forget to do just that.

'I guess I'm just…' She drew a deep breath. '…kind of used to making decisions on my own, without anyone really caring. And… I didn't want to worry you. And honestly, it was easier for me this way. That's selfish of me, I know, but I just… I'm not good at goodbyes. Or possible goodbyes.'

His face softened a bit and he sighed. 'I know,' he said, drawing her close and resting his chin on the top of her head. 'I thought so – that it would be something like that. But Fae, whether you like it or not, I'm _with _you now. You can't keep on making decisions and flying off on your own without even telling me – that's not how the whole relationship thing works, you know.'

She nodded weakly, just resting her head against his chest, before she asked, 'What exactly did Gold… I mean, Corrin… tell you?'

'Everything he knew,' Fiyero replied. 'And just so you know, Glinda is boiling with rage. She's absolutely furious with you. She can't believe you were willing confide in _his _magic,' he nodded to Oscar and quickly added for the older man's sake, 'No offense,' before looking back at Elphaba, 'which you're not even sure he actually _has, _instead of asking _her _to help you. Because she would have been willing to help you. She still is – after she slaps you and gives you a three hour lecture about this, that is. Her words, not mine.'

'She shouldn't be getting herself worked up,' Elphaba said quietly. 'It's not good for her healing process.'

He looked at her as if he was barely believing what she was saying. 'Really, Fae? That's really all you're worried about?'

'No,' she said in that same low voice. 'Of course not. Look, Fiyero… I really didn't intend to hurt any of you. I swear. But Morrible… she almost got Glinda, and I just can't bear the thought of…'

'Of her _actually _getting Glinda,' Fiyero finished, as always knowing what was in her head, and she nodded. He sighed and shook his head. 'I understand, Fae, I really do. But do you understand _my _problem, too?'

She nodded. 'I do. And I really am sorry.'

'So will you please let this plan of yours slide, then?' he asked her. 'Try to find another way first?'

She reluctantly agreed. 'All right. If that's what you want.' She looked at Oscar, who merely gave her a faint smile. 'I'm _really _glad I don't have to do this anymore,' he told her sincerely, handing her back the piece of paper with the resurrection spell. 'Because honestly, I think your confidence in my _possible _magical powers was just a bit… well... I think you were being a bit too optimistic.'

She returned his smile half-heartedly. 'Yeah. Well… don't worry. It looks like you won't have to do it, after all.'

* * *

Fiyero had been right – Glinda _was _furious, and Elphaba waited patiently for over ten minutes for the blonde to finish her tirade. After that, she apologised, and although Glinda grumbled on about it for a while, she finally decided to forgive her friend. 'And now I'm going to have to shoo you away,' she concluded. 'My maids and servants are coming within the hour to dress me and help me get ready for my big speech this afternoon, and we don't want them seeing you, now do we?'

Elphaba immediately sat up. 'What do you mean, big speech?'

'The Ozians are worried about me,' Glinda explained, as if that much should be obvious. 'I have to show them that I'm all right – or, well, not dead, at least.'

'Did you forget what happened the last two times you gave a speech?' Elphaba demanded, and Glinda narrowed her eyes at her friend. '_No_, I did not. That I why we doubled the guards.'

'That didn't help at all last time!' Elphaba sputtered, and Glinda rolled her eyes – something she rarely ever did. 'Elphie, please. I'll be fine. Now, could you please leave before they come in here and discoverate you?' the blonde begged. 'Please come back around dinnertime, all right? I'll make sure I'll be alone by then.'

Both Elphaba and Fiyero nodded reluctantly, but as soon as they were out of the palace and hiding in the woods once again, Elphaba spoke up. 'I don't like this at all.'

'Me neither,' Fiyero confessed, as Elphaba went on, 'Knowing Morrible, she's going to strike again this afternoon – and somehow I can't shake the feeling that this time, she's going to do anything in her power to make sure she succeeds. I can't just let Glinda die, Fiyero. We have to be there, too, so that we can help her if necessary.'

He didn't like the idea very much, mostly because staying in the City for an entire afternoon would be very dangerous for them and increase the chance of them being recognised, but he couldn't argue with her because he knew she was right. They _couldn't _let Glinda die.

That was why that afternoon, two figures dressed in dark cloaks mingled with the crowd in front of the palace, making their way through the people until they were right in front of the stage where Lady Glinda would appear in about ten minutes. Elphaba looked at Fiyero. 'Remember, as soon as you see anything suspicious…'

He nodded and squeezed her hand. 'We'll be fine, Fae. We'll all be fine.'

She nodded, too, and flashed him a faint smile before directing her attention at the stage again, where a man had now stepped up to announce Lady Glinda the Good.

The people started cheering when she appeared, dressed in a pale pink gown, and she smiled and waved at the people in return. She walked up to the front of the stage and started talking, addressing the people, but neither Fiyero nor Elphaba were listening. Elphaba frowned when she noticed a third figure in a dark cloak, standing not too far away from Fiyero and her. She was about to mention the person to Fiyero when suddenly, the figure turned a bit and she could see the face. She gasped softly when she recognised Morrible, who now looked her directly in the eye and gave her a malicious smile before several knives appeared in the air next to her, shimmering, pointed at Glinda, waiting to be released. Morrible flashed the green girl another evil grin and then she made a gesture… and the knives started flying towards Glinda.

'No!' Elphaba yelled and before she knew it, it was all happening so fast, she had bolted forward, onto the stage, and she pushed Glinda over. The blonde fell with a small shriek of surprise, Elphaba tumbling on top of her, and Glinda's eyes widened in shock when she saw the knives scattered around her and she looked at Elphaba. 'You saved my life!'

'Are you okay?' the green girl asked, intently staring into her friend's eyes, and Glinda nodded slowly. 'Yes… I think so.'

Suddenly, Elphaba's arms were seized and pulled behind her back, and someone from the crowd – Morrible, she suspected – screamed, 'She attacked our Glinda the Good!'

The guards turned her around and the people all gasped with shock when they recognised the Wicked Witch of the West. Everyone started whispering and it was clear that they all believed what Morrible had said – that Elphaba had attacked their Lady Glinda. She hadn't imagined them thinking otherwise, to be quite honest. The people still believed she was wicked, after all.

'Kill the Witch!' someone shouted from the crowd and everyone started yelling then. 'Kill the Witch! Kill the Witch!'

Someone leapt forward from the crowd and Elphaba didn't even have to look to know that it was Fiyero. She sighed. Why did he have to do that? She was absolutely certain he was going to let himself be caught as well – as soon as someone would recognise him as Prince Fiyero Tiggular, the traitor.

'No!' Fiyero shouted and he quickly climbed the stage. 'Let her go!'

New whispers from the crowd – 'That horrendible Winkie prince!' 'It's Glinda's former fiancée! Do you believe he ran off with the Witch?' 'He's a traitor!'

Sure enough, he barely got to his feet before some other guards seized him, too, and Elphaba closed her eyes for a moment. Some guards had helped Glinda up and she was now standing behind them, eyes wide, staring straight at Elphaba. 'No!' she started to protest. 'She didn't attack me, she only tried to…' One look from Elphaba, however, was enough to shut her up. The witch narrowed her eyes at the blonde. 'Do you remember a certain _promise_?' she hissed, and Glinda's eyes went even wider. Elphaba knew that Glinda realized what she meant. _Promise me you won't try and clear my name. _She looked at the blonde intently until Glinda finally gave in an gave her a small, reluctant nod.

The guards were obviously thinking that Elphaba was trying to threaten Glinda, because they formed a protective circle around the blonde. Elphaba felt someone else seizing her from behind and she knew in an instant that it was Morrible. 'Finally, I've got you,' the old woman hissed into her ear, and Elphaba flinched involuntarily. She closed her eyes and tried to collect her powers, before releasing them in a giant shockwave of magic. Everyone nearby, including Glinda and Fiyero and the guards, was knocked to the ground; everyone, except for Morrible.

'Invincible, remember?' she hissed again, and the green girl shivered. 'You can't win, _witch_. Not this time.'

The guards quickly regained their composure and took in their former positions, peering anxiously at the green witch. Morrible secured her grip on Elphaba's arms. 'You can't go anywhere this time, dearie.'

'Kill the Witch!' the people started shouting again and someone added, 'And the Winkie prince, too!'

That sent a rush of fear through Elphaba's body. 'No!' she said hotly. 'Don't hurt him! He has nothing to do with it – I'm the one you want!' A faint feeling of déjà-vu washed over her as she remembered herself saying those same words about Glinda, the day she had defied the Wizard and ran off. Only now, there was no chance at running off – _at all_. Her brain was working at top speed. She knew this was the time. There was no way she was escaping now, and she knew it. She just needed Fiyero to be safe.

'But he ran away with her!' someone yelled. 'He should be punished for his crimes!'

'I cast a love spell on him!' Elphaba blurted out, unable to think of anything else but saving Fiyero. She saw his eyes go wide and she looked at Glinda, who gave her a slight nod to acknowledge that the blonde knew what she had to do.

The green girl looked back at the people. 'I cast a love spell on him,' she repeated. 'I loved him, and he didn't love me back, and I couldn't accept that.'

'It's true,' Glinda said, eyes closed and arms stretched out towards Fiyero in a rather exaggerated attempt to convince the people that she was sensing something. 'I can feel the magic surrounding him… It's a love spell, that's for certain.'

The people started mumbling to one another – it was obvious that this explanation made sense to them. 'That explains why he left Glinda for _her_,' someone muttered, clearly audible to Elphaba. 'He would never have done that in full sanity.'

She grimaced, but didn't say anything. Luckily, no one in his right mind would doubt a statement of Lady Glinda's, and so they all accepted it as the truth. 'Fellow Ozians,' Glinda said, her voice shaking slightly, but Elphaba was sure no one would notice that. 'I shall take Prince Fiyero with me and he shall find residence in the palace, until I manage to break the love spell El… the Wicked Witch,' she corrected herself with a pained look, 'cast on him.'

Elphaba flashed the blonde a quick, reassuring smile, but Glinda's eyes were filled with sadness. She knew what this meant. Elphaba was giving up and there was nothing she could do about it.

'No!' Fiyero protested, wrestling against the guards holding him. 'I love her! Don't hurt her!'

'It's the love spell speaking,' Glinda proclaimed dramatically, and the Ozians nodded sympathetically. Morrible tied Elphaba's hands behind her back and three guards held her while the former Press Secretary walked up to stand right in front of Elphaba, looking her in the eye. 'Well, _Wicked Witch_? Do you surrender?'

Fiyero looked at Elphaba pleadingly, hurt showing in his eyes. He didn't believe any of this nonsense – he knew Elphaba, and she would never, _ever _cast a love spell on him… not to mention that Glinda didn't even have the ability to sense magic, so he knew this all to be a hoax. He wasn't stupid – well, not _really _stupid, anyway; he knew Elphaba and Glinda must have made some sort of agreement in order to protect him. He was worried, however, that she would not protect _herself_. She had held her head high before, and there had been a defiant look in her eyes, but now, she seemed defeated. She seemed to be giving up, and he couldn't bear the thought of that, because he knew what that meant.

She locked eyes with him for a moment, and he knew what message she was trying to convey in that one look. Her eyes were begging him to forgive her, before she said softly, 'Yes. I surrender.'

A ripple of excitement ran through the crowd, and Morrible couldn't suppress a smug smile spreading across her face. 'Well, well. It seems we finally got you, didn't we?' Then her eyes narrowed. 'But why?' she asked suspiciously. 'Why surrender now? After all this time…'

'I'm tired of running,' Elphaba said simply. Her eyes met Glinda's for the briefest moment. 'I'm… limited.'

Something flickered in the blonde's eyes when she recognised the words and she looked as if she was about to cry, but she managed to compose herself – there were too many witnesses who would get suspicious at Glinda the Good crying because the Wicked Witch was about to die.

Fiyero was still wrestling against the guards, screaming 'Let me go! Fae! Don't do this!' all the while, but no one was really paying attention to him – not now they knew – or thought – that he was under a spell. Elphaba was desperately trying to ignore his screams because she feared she would break down if she listened to them, and she didn't grant anyone that pleasure. She looked Morrible straight in the eye. She knew there was nothing that could save _her _anymore, but at least she knew Glinda and Fiyero to be safe. And Morrible… well, at least she'd get the chance to break the old hag's immortality spell now. All she had to do was hope that Corrin would finish her off, just like he had promised Elphaba he would do some time ago.

Morrible was twisting one of her precious knives in her hand, obviously impatient to plant it into Elphaba's body. 'Any last words?'

Elphaba hesitated for a moment; then she looked at Glinda. The blonde could just barely hold back her tears, and Fiyero looked as if he was about to burst into tears too, or faint, or throw up, or… perhaps even all of them at the same time. She wanted to tell them how much she loved them, and thousand many more things, but she knew she couldn't risk it – people would get suspicious. And besides… there was nothing she could say to them she hadn't said before.

She looked at Corrin, standing behind Glinda, and locked eyes with him for a moment. He nodded solemnly and she knew that he would keep his promises, that he would keep Glinda safe and destroy Morrible at the first chance he got, which reassured her somewhat.

She took a deep breath, looked back at Morrible and shook her head. 'Why don't you just get it over with?' she suggested, much braver than she felt, and Morrible's face clouded with rage. 'As you wish,' she snarled, and she lifted the knife high in the air with both hands. Elphaba closed her eyes.

'Witness the end of the Wicked Witch of the West!' Morrible yelled, and Glinda, Corrin and Fiyero watched in absolute horror as the older woman lowered the knife with a triumphant shriek and pierced Elphaba's heart with it.

* * *

**...Goodbye, everyone. It was really nice knowing you.**


	21. Tears From A Long Time Ago

**AN: Virtual brownies and hugs for Wicked4Life! 106 reviews right now, I want to thank you all very much for that! **

**Furthermore... Let me just say I take 'wicked mean green thing' as a compliment - does that mean I'm a bit like Elphaba? :D I'd like that... and thank you RavenCurls for protecting me - I guess you're the reason I'm still here to post this new chapter, considering almost everyone else wants to kill me ^^. Unfortunately, I don't think you guys are going to hate me any less after reading this chapter.**

**Brownie points for the ones who can tell me the title of the song I used below (a line of which also forms the title of this chapter), although I doubt it, since I got it from Crossing Jordan again and you guys... have never even heard of Crossing Jordan :3.**

* * *

_Well I've cried me a river_

_I've cried me a lake_

_I've got these tears from a long time ago_

* * *

When Elphaba opened her eyes, there was light. Soft, white light that illuminated everything around her. Fog was covering the ground, so that it seemed like she was flying between the clouds, but she knew she wasn't flying. She was dead. This must be the netherworld – the afterlife.

It was large and completely empty, and the mist was everywhere, but she didn't particularly care about her surroundings. Her heart ached for the ones she had left behind and she whispered a quick prayer to anyone who might be listening that they would be okay without her, that they would move on and be happy again someday. Then she closed her eyes and did what she had to do.

She started chanting.

'_Akele Tum Day Morto, Nile Ehma Patines Tum, Akele Tum Day Morto…'_

* * *

Glinda felt completely numb and was unable to move as she watched Elphaba's limp form sink onto the floor, all life drained from her body. Morrible yanked out the knife and screamed in victory and the entire Emerald City cheered with her, their voices overwhelming the awful, agonised scream that came from Fiyero's lips and made the blonde wince. Corrin quickly put his arm around her and lead her with him. 'She's been shaken pretty badly by the attack,' he lied to the guards, who all nodded sympathetically. 'I'm going to take her to her rooms. Could you bring Fiyero Tiggular there, too? Lady Glinda seems determined to end the spell resting upon him, and she would want him close, him being her former fiancé and all.'

The guards nodded once more and Corrin lead Glinda into the palace, through the hallways, back to her room. She was oddly quiet the entire way, unable to produce any sound, thoughts and memories whirling around in her head.

'_I'm limited…_'

_I should have stepped up and helped her._

'_I'm the one you want! It's me!'_

_Who cares if all of Oz had turned against me? I let my best friend die!_

'Promise_ me you won't try and clear my name!'_

_But they would have caught me too if I had…_

'_Glinda, you can do all I couldn't do!'_

_Sweet Oz, please tell me this is a nightmare and I'm going to wake up now. Please let me wake up. Please. Please. Wake me up._

'Please wake me up…' she whispered, oblivious to the fact that she had just spoken the words out loud. Corrin gave her a worried look, but didn't say anything as he gently sat her upon the bed and took off her shoes and tiara. 'Glinda?'

She looked at him with dead eyes.

'_You're the only friend I've ever had.'_

'Do you want to lie down for a moment?' Corrin asked her gently, but she didn't reply at all; she was just staring in front of her without really seeming to see anything.

At that moment, loud noises came from the foyer and although Corrin was very reluctant to leave Glinda on her own right now, he did, just for a clock-tick, to find out what was going on. What he saw broke his heart.

Four guards were dragging Fiyero into the room. He was still fighting them, screaming, yelling and crying at the same time, and as they released him, he dashed towards the nearest wall and began punching it. He punched the wall time after time, until there was a giant hole in the wall and his fist was bleeding, and then he sank down on the floor, crying inconsolably.

Corrin dismissed the guards with a silent nod and knelt down next to Fiyero, gently placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder. 'Fiyero? Will you come with me?'

He helped the Prince get up, but Fiyero's knees buckled and he couldn't keep himself up, so Corrin half-carried him to Glinda's room and eased him down into a seat. When he looked around for Glinda, however, he became even more worried. She was sitting in the window sill, the Grimmerie lying open on her lap, and she was chanting frantically, the same words time after time. '_Patines Nahmen Eleka Day Ah, Patines Nahmen Eleka Day Ah, Patines Nahmen…'_

'Glinda?' he asked softly, but she didn't even acknowledge his presence.

'_Patines Nahmen Eleka Day Ah, Patines…_'

'Glinda. Look at me,' he said urgently. Again, no response at all. Tears filled her eyes and after some time, spilled over, but she didn't seem to notice. She just kept on chanting. '_Patines Nahmen Eleka Day Ah…_'

'Glinda!' he yelled finally, and her head jerked up. '_What_!' she snapped at him, and he recoiled a bit, taken aback by the fury in her eyes.

'Glinda…' he said cautiously. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm saving Elphie,' she declared. 'This healing spell worked before. It has to work now. It _has to._' Without waiting for a reply, she resumed her chanting. '_Patines Nahmen Eleka Day Ah. Patines Nahmen Eleka…_'

'Glinda,' he said, as gently as possible, trying to get her to look at him. 'I'm so, so sorry, Glinda. But you can't help Elphaba anymore, you know that. She's gone.'

'_I'm saving Elphie_,' she insisted, not taking her eyes off the Grimmerie, only pausing her chanting long enough to get those three words out before she continued again. Corrin looked at her, desperate. What could he do? His heart stung at the thought of what had happened to Elphaba, his little sister, but he simply didn't allow himself to feel it. He had to help Glinda and Fiyero through this first.

Fiyero, in the meantime, had gotten up and looked at Corrin with a blank expression on his face. 'I want to see her.'

Corrin sighed. 'You can't. The guards have taken her.' He knew they were going to burn her dead body within a few days, at a stake, in the middle of the Emerald City. A trophy of their victory.

Fiyero didn't recoil, however. 'I _need _to see her.'

Corrin mused over the idea for a moment. Could he take Fiyero down to the dungeons to show him Elphaba's body? Perhaps it would give him and Glinda closure – they still didn't seem convinced that Elphaba had actually died, although Corrin himself was absolutely positive. Morrible had stabbed the green girl right through the heart. He had seen the life draining out of her, the light leaving her eyes – it had happened in a mere clock-tick, and then she had been gone.

'Fine, then,' he agreed. 'I'll take you to see her. Glinda? Will you come?'

Glinda shook her head violently. 'I have to keep saying the spell.'

Corrin gently grabbed Glinda's shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. 'Glin? Will you listen to me?'

She hesitated for a moment; then she nodded.

'I know you're upset, honey. I understand. But you can't hide from the truth – it will cause you to break down eventually. So I need you to get back to reality with me, okay? Can you do that?'

Tears filled her eyes again and she shook her head. 'No, Corrin,' she whispered in the most pained voice he had ever heard her use. 'I can't do that. Because if I do, that means I have to face the fact that… that I've lost her. Again. And again, I didn't do anything to help her. And I just can't bear that thought, Corrin. I can't.'

He knelt before her and took her hands. 'Glinda… you've been so brave. You were so brave last time, and you were very brave again right now. You did the right thing – you kept your promise. I know you feel horrible about this, but it's what Elphaba would have wanted,' he said gently, and that was enough for her to break down into tears. She buried her face in his shoulder, clinging to him and crying for a long time, until finally she pulled back, looking exhausted. Corrin carefully lifted her up and carried her over to the bed, where he tucked her in as if she were a small child. 'Go to sleep, honey,' he said softly. 'Things will look different in the morning.' He wasn't sure they would – or if they did, if 'different' meant 'better' or 'worse', but she seemed to calm down a bit and she drifted off to an uneasy sleep within mere moments. Corrin told a few maids to stay with her, make sure she was all right, and then he took Fiyero's arm and lead the Vinkun Prince through the palace, to the dungeons.

They had left the witch in a small, dark dungeon in the far back corner. The door was wide open – it was not like she would be able to run away – and the guards patrolling the cells didn't even walk past there, since there wasn't really anything to guard. Corrin was glad, because it would give them some privacy, but as soon as he saw Elphaba, his heart sank.

They had merely dumped her in a corner, a small heap of black hair and fabric, and… usually he would have finished that thought with 'green skin', but her skin didn't really seem green anymore. It came closer to gray. Almost white.

As soon as Fiyero saw her, he broke down. He collapsed onto the floor, cradling her limp form in his arms, crying uncontrollably. It was only then that Corrin noticed Doctor Quork standing in a corner, looking at the scene with tears standing in his eyes. Corrin quietly came over and looked at the older man questioningly. 'They wanted me to examine her,' Quork explained softly. 'See if she is really dead.'

Corrin merely kept looking at him, the question in his eyes, and Quork gently shook his head. 'I'm really sorry, Corrin. She's gone.'

'Wait!' Fiyero said suddenly, and the two men spun around, startled. Fiyero looked at them hopefully. 'Look! The stabbing wound – it's gone, isn't it?'

Incredulous, both Corrin and Quork came closer to examine. 'The wound is nearly healed,' he concluded, amazed. 'It almost looks like… magic!'

'Glinda's healing spell,' Corrin said, connecting the dots. He couldn't stop his heart from leaping with hope. 'Does that mean…'

Quork carefully examined the green girl again, but eventually, he shook his head. 'I'm really sorry,' he said again, sadly. 'Her body's almost fully healed, but her spirit is long gone, Corrin. I'm not an expert on magic, but I am an expert on medicine, and I know that healing the body won't do any good if the soul isn't in there anymore. You can't _heal _a dead person – you have to _resurrect _them. Could the spell Glinda used have done that?'

Corrin thought about what Glinda and Elphaba had told him about the spell in the past and defeated, he shook his head. 'No. It was a healing spell, not a resurrection spell,' he said softly.

Quork knelt down next to Fiyero and gently placed his hand on the Prince's shoulder. 'I'm very sorry for your loss, Fiyero.'

That was enough to cause the younger man to break down again, and Corrin and Quork exchanged a look before both leaving the cell, wanting to give the Vinkun Prince some privacy. 'There's nothing I can do here anymore,' Quork said sadly. 'Do you want me to check up on Glinda for you? Stay with her if necessary?'

Corrin nodded gratefully. 'That would be wonderful, yes.'

Quork gave him a sympathetic nod and squeezed his shoulder for a moment before disappearing into the dark hallways, leaving Corrin behind in the dungeons with a heart-broken Fiyero.

* * *

Fiyero had never felt this way before.

Sure, he had been afraid before, and angry, and sad, but never like this. The fear that rushed through him right now made him want to curl up in a dark corner and cry. The anger he felt made him want to break down the entire Emerald City single-handedly. And the sadness… No, sadness wasn't even the right word. The grief, the pain, the heart-brokenness that consumed him… It made him want to lie down next to her and die as well.

He didn't let go of her for a clock-tick. He held her, whispering pleas to her to please, please wake up. He traced her features with his finger, remembering all the times he had done so before and how happy they had been back then. He caressed her soft, silky black hair, twirling it around in his fingers, imagining her to give him one of those stern look of hers and to ask him in an amused tone of voice what he was doing. He drew her close, planting kisses on her nose, her forehead, her lips, her neck, her hair. He knew she was gone, he could feel it, but he couldn't let go. Not yet.

'Please, Fae,' he whispered, his voice breaking. 'You can't leave me like this. You can't. Please tell me this is some cruel joke and you're about to wake up now. Please tell me this was just a really, really realistic way to fake your own death again. Please wake up. Come back to me, Fae. I can't do this without you. I need you. Please…' He kept going until his voice finally trailed away, resting his forehead against Elphaba's, his eyes closed.

'Fiyero?' he heard Corrin's voice. 'Will you come back up with me?'

Fiyero shook his head, not even bothering to open his eyes. 'I'm not leaving her,' he said, trying to ignore the little voice in his head that told him technically _she _had already left _him_.

He felt the other man's hand on his shoulder. 'Fiyero…'

'Do you believe in life after death?' the Prince suddenly asked, opening his eyes and looking up at Corrin, who looked a bit taken aback by the question. He thought about that for a few clock-ticks. Then he said, 'Yes. I do.'

'Do you think she's there now?' Fiyero asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. Corrin knelt down next to him, so he could look him straight in the eye, and nodded. 'She's there now, Fiyero. She'll be happy there. She'll be watching over you, and Glinda, and all of us, I'm sure.' He wasn't even sure he really did believe in an afterlife or that sort of thing, but he felt like he needed to reassure Fiyero, and this was all that came to mind on such short notice.

Fiyero nodded slowly. 'So we could be together there if I…'

'Whoa,' Corrin said, startled. 'Fiyero. No. Don't even think about it.'

The Prince looked up at him and Corrin's heart broke at the utter pain and sadness showing in his eyes. 'I don't want to live without her, Corrin.'

'Do you think that's what she'd want you to do?' Corrin demanded. 'To kill yourself? What about Glinda? Your family? Are you just going to leave them alone?'

'I _can't _live without Elphaba,' Fiyero insisted, and Corrin gave him a stern look. 'Now listen to me very carefully. I know Elphaba, and she would _not _want you to do this. In fact, if you _do _carry it through, I'm absolutely positive she's going to kick your nuts in the afterlife – and then she's going to bring you back to life just so that she can kill you again.'

Fiyero smiled faintly. 'Probably,' he admitted, and his voice became even quieter when he added, 'But at least she'd be there.'

'Come on now,' Corrin said, gently helping Fiyero up and leading him out of the prison cell. 'You need to rest.'

Fiyero didn't even have the strength in his body to protest anymore.

* * *

Doctor Quork had given both Glinda and Fiyero some sedatives, so they mostly slept in the next few days. The doctor promised to keep watching over them, leaving Corrin free to make all kinds of necessary arrangements.

An announcement was made to inform the people that Lady Glinda the Good had been very shaken by the attack and would therefore stay inside the palace for the next few days, but that she had not been harmed in any way and was just fine – physically. A servant, who was actually an undercover member of the Resistance, was sent to the Animal hideout in the Great Kells to inform Maráni and the others about what had happened. A letter was sent by express post to the Vinkus, informing Fiyero's family as well and asking them to come over to the Emerald City to support their son in his grief. He also had Doctor Quork take care of Elphaba's body, since they weren't planning on burning it until Glinda the Good was well again and able to attend the happening.

On the second day, the guards announced a guest, and Corrin was startled to recognise the former Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He had heard about the man from Elphaba, of course, so he got up and shook Oscar's hand. 'I'm very sorry for your loss, sir.'

Oscar smiled sadly. 'Thank you. I just…' He seemed lost in thought for a moment, before he said quietly, 'They're planning on burning her, aren't they? In the middle of the City, to celebrate her death…'

Corrin nodded solemnly. 'I know. And I'm sorry. I hate the thought of it, but… I didn't really see how I could do anything about it without suspicion arising among the people. And besides… it's not like it would do her any good anymore.'

'You're right, of course,' Oscar agreed, 'but… well… I want to take her with me.'

Corrin looked up in surprise. 'Excuse me?'

'I want to bury her,' Oscar explained. 'It's like you said – she doesn't deserve to end on a stake, even if she isn't really there anymore. You don't have to do anything; I've made… _arrangements _to be able to take her body from the dungeons without anyone knowing. People will wonder who stole the body, of course, but it wouldn't make any of you suspicious, and it would give her… the _right_ ending.'

Corrin nodded slowly. 'You have my permission. Thank you.'

Oscar gave him another sad smile. 'Don't thank me. I loved her too, you know.'

'You did?' Corrin was a bit surprised at that. 'I mean, I know you felt guilty about the way you treated her, especially after you found out she was your daughter… and I knew you cared about her to a certain degree, but…'

'She was my daughter,' Oscar said simply. 'And I would've given anything to have the chance to build a real relationship with her.'

Corrin gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded. 'All right. Take her,' he said solemnly. 'Give her the goodbye she deserves. And please…' His voice softened. 'Please convey my sincere condolences to Maráni.'

'I will,' Oscar promised and he disappeared. Corrin stayed behind, lost in thought.

* * *

Morrible was utterly pleased with herself as she watched the Ozians celebrate. In fact, she wasn't able to wipe a big grin off her face. Elphaba was no longer a threat anymore – the Wicked Witch of the West was finally dead. Apparently the old saying was true – if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. She had proven the saying to be right.

She might have been worried about anyone coming after her to revenge Elphaba's death, but hey, she was still immortal. What could they do to her? Not to mention the fact that Glinda had a reputation to think of and Fiyero, she had heard, was apparently in no condition to be coming after her. She smiled maliciously at the memory of the Winkie prince breaking down right after it happened. Never thought she'd witness that one day, but it had been a satisfying sight.

Someone pushed a can of beer in her hands and they started dancing around the square. Morrible, not really one for dancing, decided to head back home. So far, her plan had been working out perfectly, and she had no doubt the hardest part of it – killing Elphaba – was over; but there was still a lot more to do before she could knock Glinda from the throne and become ruler of Oz herself. She didn't want to waste any time anymore.

While she was on her way home, however, a strange feeling washed over her. Suddenly, she was feeling a little weak and her knees started to buckle, as if she was about to faint. She supported herself with one hand against the wall, wondering what the meaning of this was. She felt as if something was gone that had been inside her before, although she couldn't really say what that something could be. What was happening to her?

Another wave of dizziness and she stumbled, lost her balance and fell, painfully grazing the palms of her hands when they came in contact with the rough cobblestones of the street. She grimaced and scrambled back to her feet. Luckily, the faint feeling was gone now. She repulsively examined her injured hands – Oz, did she hate blood. She kept looking at them in anticipation of the wounds closing and the skin healing within mere clock-ticks, but nothing happened.

She stared at her hands in horror for some time longer, but even after more than ten minutes, her injuries did not heal and she knew that could only mean one thing.

She had no idea how, but somehow, she was no longer invincible.

* * *

With the help of a few Resistance members and Animals, Oscar managed to sneak out of the palace with Elphaba's body and take her back to the hideout in the Great Kells, where they placed her on a bier and cared for her as if she were still alive. Maráni was grief-stricken. Hearing about Elphaba's death, as it had happened last time, had been bad; but _seeing _the green girl dead, knowing for sure that there was absolutely no hope at her living again, was far worse. The other Animals left her alone as she came in to say goodbye to Elphaba.

'Oh, Fabala,' she whispered, nuzzling the green girl's side. 'I'm so sorry… How I wish you'd be all right again.'

She thought about Nuki, and Glinda and Fiyero, and wondered how they were holding up. She prayed for them every night, that they would find the strength to get through this and one day be happy again, and she prayed for Elphaba, that she might find piece, wherever she was right now.

She looked at Elphaba's dead body again and nuzzled her cheek one final time, before whispering, 'Goodbye, little one,' and leaving the room.

* * *

**I'll probably post the next chapter later tonight, because I have a really long evening of babysitting in front of me (meaning me sitting on the couch at my neighbours' house watching tv while the kids are sleeping upstairs) and I'm bored and that means I have lots of time to write :D.**


	22. Luctor Et Emergo

**AN: All right, all right, you can put away your mobs and torches and pitchforks and Grimmeries. This is the chapter after which you'll all love me again - and I'd love for you to tell me that in a review :).**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

Oscar looked down at his daughter wordlessly. He still couldn't believe she was really gone, and he couldn't help but wonder if he could have prevented it. If he hadn't argued so much about her initial plan, and had helped her execute that one right away… Would she still be alive? Could she have been right, about him having powers of his own? Or would she still have ended up dead, only a few days sooner?

He sighed and looked at the still form on the bier. What if he'd cast the resurrection spell now? Would that do any good? he suddenly wondered. He pulled out the piece of parchment with the spell written on it, and studied it for a moment. Of course it wouldn't do any good – it was meant to bring someone back within two minutes after the initial death, or…

'_I can stay in the netherworld for two minutes exactly before my body and soul end up permanently detached – in other words, before I actually die.'_

He could almost hear her say the words in his head, and he knew saying the spell now wouldn't do her any good, but he still felt like he had to do it. Because…

'_Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try, I'll never know.' _

Glinda had told him Elphaba had said that, right before she flew from the City and became known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and he had found it fascinating. He surprised himself by recalling the exact words – he hadn't realised until now how much attention he'd actually paid to her in the past, what she'd done, what she'd said. In hindsight, he was glad he had. Even though she had hated him and he had been trying to kill her for the most part of their relationship, at least he had memories of her.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it from thought and whispered the words on the parchment out loud, against his better judgment. _'Anirre Nahmen, Ah Nam Akele, Tum Nah Akele Tum…'_

* * *

Elphaba had no clue as to how much time exactly had passed since she had… well, died. She had said the spell that would – hopefully – break Morrible's immortality, and she didn't feel like there was anything else she could do. She was still in this strange netherworld, light and mist everywhere, and furthermore, there was just… emptiness.

She wasn't sure what she had expected. To be quite honest, she hadn't really expected there to be an afterlife at all. But now, since there clearly was one, she couldn't help but wonder if this was all. She had heard all kinds of stories about life after death – that people would be reborn into other creatures, for example, or that they would go to Heaven, where they would be rewarded for the good they'd done, or to Hell, where they would be punished for their bad actions. She had wondered before where she would go if the latter theory was the case. Oz knew she had had good intentions, but sometimes intentions weren't enough – she knew that better than anyone else. Nearly everything she had done in her life had somehow turned out the wrong way. Would that have sent her off to Hell? She wasn't sure she wanted to know – and she _wouldn't _know, obviously, since the place where she was right now didn't seem anything like Hell. Or Heaven, for that matter.

She had been looking around for some time, wandering through the fog, looking for other people. Her mother, maybe, or Nessa; it would have been wonderful to see them again. Unfortunately, there had been no sign of them, and she finally had given up, convinced that they were not here.

Then, she had started to think of a way to get out of here and back to Oz. Not alive, obviously, but she had also heard some stories about dead people haunting the living, or watching over the ones they loved, and the idea seemed appealing. She wanted to see Fiyero and Glinda so badly, wanted to make sure they were okay, or even just _be there _with them, even though they wouldn't know that she was there; but again, she had had no luck. She seemed to be trapped here, waiting for… What? Judgment? Reincarnation? Somehow she doubted that.

Suddenly, she thought she heard something, and she whirled around, scanning her environment quickly with her eyes, but there was no one there. She was still alone. Yet, she was convinced she had actually heard something… And just as that thought occurred to her, she heard it again.

It was a voice, barely a whisper, barely audible, but it was most definitely there. She only caught stray words, words in a foreign language, and at first she wasn't even sure she heard them right.

'_Nahmen… Tum Nah… Anirre Nahmen…'_

Slowly, her brain started connecting the dots and she gasped as she realised where she had heard – or rather, read – those words before.

The resurrection spell.

Could it be… Oscar? But… the spell didn't have any effect anymore after two minutes. Or did it? All of a sudden, she wasn't so sure anymore. _There must be a reason I'm hearing the words now, right? If the spell didn't have any effect, would I still hear Oscar chanting it?_

Without even really realising what she was doing, she started whispering the words along with him, unconsciously adding her own magic to Oscar's… thus making magic happen.

* * *

Corrin was tired. No, not tired; exhausted. And even that word didn't really cover how awfully worn out he was feeling.

Glinda was back in fulfilling her duties. She knew how much depended on her acting all bubbly and happy, and she didn't want to break her promise to Elphaba. However, the truth was, she was barely holding up. She seemed fine enough; she would give speeches and have meetings, and Boq would usually be at her side to help – he was becoming quite the politician himself, and this way, he could keep an eye on Glinda in the moments Corrin couldn't, for which the latter was extremely grateful. When she was out of the public eye, however, Glinda underwent a major transformation. Gone were the bubbly smile and the optimistic attitude; sometimes she would just collapse in a chair and sit there for the rest of the evening, staring in front of her without really seeing anything, and Corrin heard her cry herself to sleep every night.

As for Fiyero, he seemed to be coping even worse – if you could call it coping at all. He, too, had gone out in public now; Glinda had convinced him to play along with the love spell idea, insisting that it was what Elphaba would have wanted, and Fiyero had accepted that. Public announcements had been made; that Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus was his old self again, the love spell lifted, and that he was recovering from it. Glinda had quickly countered every rumour of her and Fiyero getting back together, telling the Ozians that she had moved on and found love elsewhere – which the Ozians were all very excited about. Corrin was glad at that; he knew how horribly painful it had been to both Glinda and Fiyero to hear the people suggest those things about them.

Anyhow, Fiyero appeared in public once or twice, confirming to the people that he was fine now, but the rest of the time, he would spend inside, in Glinda's rooms. His parents, along with Rayenna, Anwen and Nuki, had come over as soon as they had received Corrin's letter, and he had seemed to brighten a bit at their presence, but it didn't last long. Sometimes he would cry, or throw a tantrum for no real reason, but mostly, he was apathetic, just like Glinda. It worried his family to no end, and they all tried to talk with him, but to no avail. No one really seemed to get through to him.

On the fifth day since Elphaba's death, his family took him home, back to the Vinkus, and Corrin, ashamed as he was to admit it, felt relieved. He didn't think he could stand looking at Fiyero much longer; seeing how the cheerful, loving, strong man he once was, could change so thoroughly in mere minutes. Sometimes Corrin thought he could see Fiyero die a little bit more inside with every passing day and it broke his heart every time he saw it.

He had been so busy helping everyone else that he hadn't even really grieved for Elphaba himself, and though he knew he would need to do that sooner or later, he felt like he simply didn't have the time. At the moment, he was determined to hunt down Morrible and keep his final promise to Elphaba – to finish the old hag off if the green girl wouldn't be around to do it herself. All he really wanted to do now was lie down and sleep for weeks, forget everything for just the tiniest moment, but he didn't. He couldn't. There was too much he still had to do. He had to take care of Glinda and help her take care of state business… and he had to track down and kill Morgana Morrible. He felt like he owed Elphaba that much; it was a promise he was desperate to keep.

And so he sighed once, forced his face into a warm smile and started welcoming the advisors and Ambassadors he was meeting with this afternoon, all the while wishing he was somewhere else – _anywhere_.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity of chanting, Elphaba felt as if she was about to faint. _Can you faint when you are technically already dead? _she wondered for a moment, but quickly decided that wasn't really among her priorities right now. She felt… unreal. As if she wasn't really here anymore – as if she was fading away. One look at her own body confirmed that suspicion – she was transparent, and for the briefest moment, she panicked. Was this it? Was she moving on to her final afterlife? Suddenly, there were so many things she wanted to do before she was gone. She wanted to scream, or cry. She wanted to hug Glinda and reassure the blonde that everything was going to be okay. She wanted to say goodbye to Nuki and Maráni. She wanted to tell Oscar that she had forgiven him for everything he'd done to her in the past. She wanted to tell Fiyero's family how much she had appreciated their kindness, how much she loved the fact that they had taken her in as if she were part of their family. She wanted to kill Morrible – she had never killed anyone before in her life, and never really felt the urge to do such a thing, either, but _Oz_, she wanted to kill Morrible. But most of all, she wanted to be in Fiyero's arms again, to tell him how much she loved him, to hear him tell her she was beautiful… _and this time_, she swore to herself, _I won't laugh at him, or roll my eyes at him, or anything like that. Hell, I'd go so far as to _agree _with him – as long as that would mean we could be together for just the briefest moment again._

All those thoughts whirled around in her head as she watched herself fade away, slowly, until she was entirely gone and there was nothing left of her but air.

* * *

Oscar must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes, he was in an extremely awkward position, sitting in a chair with his head and arms resting on the bier with Elphaba's body on it. Slowly, carefully, he stretched his pained muscles. He was getting too old for this – his entire body was stiff. He got up and walked around for a moment until most of the stiffness eased off. Then he looked at his daughter's body on the bier… and his heart stopped for a moment.

Her face was still ashen and her eyes were still closed, but somehow she looked… different. Her skin was green again – pale green, but green, not gray as it had been before; and she just appeared more…

More alive.

At the same time, Elphaba felt like she was falling and then she crashed into something. A strange sensation followed, as if she was being jerked back to reality from a really vivid dream… and the next thing she knew, she bolted upright, gasping for breath.

It took her a few moments to realise what exactly had happened, but as soon as she recognised the caves from the Animal hideout, and saw Oscar, staring at her wide-eyed and looking as if he had just seen the dead wake up, she knew. Could she be… alive?

Oscar took a few tentative steps closer to her. 'Elphaba?'

She blinked at him. 'Yes.'

'Are you… alive?'

She looked down at her own body. Green skin, black dress, long black hair falling over her shoulder. 'It sure looks that way.'

'Are you sure it's really you?' he then asked, and she rolled her eyes at him without even thinking about it. 'No, I'm the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, can't you tell?' she said sarcastically, and his face broke into a large grin. 'It _is _you!' he exclaimed, and before she knew it, he was enveloping her in a big hug. She tensed, but after a moment, she relaxed slightly and returned his embrace a bit awkwardly. 'I missed you, too.'

He laughed and as he pulled back, Elphaba noted to her surprise there were actual tears in his eyes. 'Sweet Oz, you're alive!'

'I'm alive,' she confirmed, smiling. 'I have no idea how it is possible, but I am.'

Oscar held up a piece of parchment. 'Resurrection spell.'

She squinted at it, but then she remembered. 'I cast it with you,' she said softly. 'In the netherworld. Perhaps our combined magic was enough to…' She gestured towards herself. 'To bring me back.'

He smiled at her. 'Seems like you were right about me having powers after all.'

She returned his smile and carefully got to her feet. She was surprised at how stiff and awkward her own body was feeling. 'How long have I been… you know… dead?' she asked, stretching her limbs and getting used to the feeling of having a real body again.

Oscar thought about the question for a moment. 'Six days.'

She froze in her tracks and slowly turned towards him. 'What?'

'You've been dead for six days,' he told her solemnly. 'At first, they kept your body in the dungeons beneath the palace, but I went to talk to Corrin after two days and he gave me permission to secretly take you with me. We wanted to bury you here.'

She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. 'I've been dead for _six days_?' She couldn't really believe it – it had barely felt like a few hours had passed up there, in the netherworld. Oscar, however, seemed confident as he nodded. 'Six days.'

At that moment, a new voice sounded from behind the door. 'Oscar? Are you all right? I thought I heard you talking to –' That was the point where Maráni entered the room and laid eyes on Elphaba.

The green girl rushed towards the Wolf and wrapped her arms around Maráni's neck. 'Hi, Maráni.'

'Hi?' Maráni repeated, clearly not believing her eyes – or ears. 'What in Oz is going on?'

'I'm alive, Maráni,' Elphaba replied, smiling. 'Oscar brought me back from the dead.'

Maráni's eyes went even wider. 'He did _what_?'

'Well, technically, we did it together,' Oscar explained, putting an arm around Elphaba's shoulders. Normally, she would have shrugged him off –or worse- but this time, she let him.

Oscar quickly explained their theory of why Elphaba was alive again to Maráni, and the Wolf could only stare at the green girl. 'Sweet Oz, Fabala…' she breathed when he was done, and Elphaba couldn't fight a big grin. 'I know. I can't really believe it myself, either.'

That was true. It didn't really seem to get through to her yet. She was alive. She could barely believe it. Her heart jumped up at the thought of seeing Glinda and Fiyero again, and everyone else she cared about… but first things first.

'I have to take advantage of this,' she told Maráni and Oscar. 'Everyone still believes I'm dead and I'd like to keep it that way for now. Don't tell anyone. You hear me? Anyone at all.'

They both looked at her as if they couldn't believe their ears. 'But Fabala…' Maráni protested. 'They have to know. Not everyone, but… Surely you can't keep Fiyero and Glinda in the dark about this? They're devastated, little one – you have to tell them!'

Elphaba felt a pang of guilt at that, but she shook her head. 'Not yet. Listen to me. Morrible is my first priority right now. I have the element of surprise – big surprise, you could say – and I have to take advantage of that. It won't be long, with a bit of luck it'll only take me a few hours, and I'll go see Fiyero and Glinda right away. As soon as I'm done with Morrible.'

They couldn't really argue with that, and so they helped her. They fetched her a cloak and gloves to cover up her skin, and a few things the witch needed to perform a tracking spell; they watched silently as Elphaba chanted, and soon, she looked up, a glimmer in her eyes. 'I found her.'

* * *

She had said a quick goodbye to Oscar and Maráni before enchanting a random broom they had found in a closet and flying off towards the Emerald City, where Morrible was hiding. It was pitch dark outside, so no one saw her as she gracefully landed in a dark alley and set her broom against a wall. She placed her hat on her head, straightened her back and threw open the door of a small house with a wave of magic.

Morrible looked up from the magic books she had been studying, startled by the sudden crash, and her eyes widened as she took in the figure standing before her. At first, she was convinced that it must be a ghost, for no human being could look this… magnificent was the only word for it really, reluctant as she was to admit it.

Elphaba Thropp looked different than she had before and yet she looked the same. Her emerald skin was glowing, the colour accentuated by the long, black dress she was wearing and by her characteristic black hat. A curtain of long, black hair was flowing over her shoulders as she stood tall, and her dark eyes, looking almost black in the dim candlelight, were flaring as if fire was burning inside them.

It was only when the green girl came closer that Morrible realised she wasn't dead at all, and her eyes bulged. 'You!' she screeched. 'You are dead!'

Elphaba looked at her with a faint smirk, but her eyes were cold. 'Well,' she said in a dangerously low tone of voice, 'it seems like I'm even harder to kill than any of us thought, huh?'

Morrible watched in awe as pure magic started to spark around the witch, whirling around her in circles and flaring brighter with every passing clock-tick. Morrible screamed.

'You can't hurt me! I am immortal! You can never kill me!'

Elphaba looked at the grazed skin of the older woman's hands meaningfully, before directing her dark gaze back at Morrible's eyes. 'Oh, I believe I can, _Madam_,' she said, and before Morrible could do anything, anything at all, the green girl released the blazing magic around her, putting every emotion she felt into it and Morrible screamed again as the magic reached her and consumed her. It all happened in a few moments' time, and when Elphaba caught her breath again and looked at the place where Morrible had been, she found that there was nothing left of the woman but ashes.

She took a deep breath, feeling a bit light-headed. She had just killed someone. She wasn't sure how she was feeling about that; she had never killed anyone before in her life. But Morrible… She knew this had to happen eventually, and she wasn't sorry. The hag had deserved it.

She turned around and left the building, never to look back again.

* * *

When she was out in the streets again, she hesitated for a moment. On the one hand, she really wanted Fiyero to be the first to know – well, after Oscar, Maráni and a dead Morrible – that she was alive; but on the other hand, he was all the way back in the Vinkus, and it seemed stupid to not tell Glinda first now that she was in the Emerald City anyway. And so she took her broom and flew towards the palace, landing swiftly on Glinda's balcony. She left the broom there and carefully opened the unlocked doors that led to Glinda's bedroom.

The blonde was asleep and clearly having a nightmare; she was tossing and turning, moaning softly every now and then, until she finally bolted upright in her bed, screaming, 'No! Elphaba!'

Elphaba's heart ached as she looked at her now wide awake friend, but she decided that surprising Glinda with her presence in the middle of the night wouldn't be the greatest idea, so she hid in the shadows as Glinda got up and wrapped a robe around her trembling body. She walked towards her closet and pulled something out, something she took with her when she went back to the bed and sat herself down on the edge. Elphaba was startled when she recognised the object in Glinda's hands as the small green glass bottle she had given her – the one that had been her mother's.

Glinda clutched the bottle to her chest. 'Oh, Elphie…' she whispered softly, and suddenly, Elphaba couldn't take it anymore. Softly, she said, 'Glinda?'

Glinda's head snapped up and she looked frantically around the room. 'Who's there?'

'It's me,' whispered Elphaba, although Glinda apparently didn't recognise her voice. 'I'll come out, just don't… Don't scream or anything, all right?'

Glinda suddenly felt very weak. The last time she had gotten a request not to scream, was a few months ago… when Fiyero had come to tell her that he and Elphie were still alive.

The blonde took a deep breath and nodded. 'All right. I won't scream. Please come out.'

Elphaba hesitated for a moment; then she left the shadows and approached her friend. Glinda's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. 'E-Elphie?' she managed to choke out.

Elphaba smiled wryly. 'The one and only.'

For a moment, she was convinced her friend was going to faint again, but then the blonde flung herself at Elphaba, clinging to her tightly, crying. 'Elphie! You're alive!'

Elphaba only held her friend close, stroking her blonde curls. 'Ssh, it's okay, Glin. I'm here. I'm fine,' she tried to reassure Glinda, who only cried harder at that.

Suddenly, the door flung open and Corrin hurried into the room, a worried look on his face. 'Glinda? Are you all right? I thought I heard you cry– _Elphaba_?!' he interrupted himself incredulously, and Elphaba smiled at him. 'Hi, Corrin.'

He stared at her in baffled silence. Glinda finally managed to compose herself a little and she wiped the tears from her cheeks, before looking up at her friend's face again and bursting into tears once more. 'It's really you! But… but how?' she sniffed, wiping her face with a handkerchief. 'How are you still alive? I saw you die, Elphie – I saw Morrible kill you and…' Fresh tears choked her throat to the point where she couldn't speak anymore, and Elphaba gave her friend another hug. 'Don't worry about Morrible anymore, Glin,' she said softly. 'She's gone.'

Corrin looked at her questioningly. 'Did you…'

Elphaba merely nodded and he nodded, too, and walked up to Glinda, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 'Why don't we sit down for a moment,' he suggested, looking at the green girl. 'And you can tell us what happened.'

* * *

**Come on, you didn't _really _think I would kill Elphaba, did you? I could never do that! **


	23. Breathless

**AN: I don't think any chapter so far has gotten as much reviews as the last one! :) Thank you so much!**

**No grand entrances, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness - we wouldn't want to give poor Fiyero a heart attack, now would we? ^^ He's been through enough already. I guess the whole thing _is _kind of dramatic, though. I have written and rewritten that part about twenty times, and twenty times more in my head, but I think it came out rather well - although it still sounded better in my head. But then again, it always does.**

**And EvilLoveTriangle, you're right - that's not what I said before, but trust me when I say I would _never _kill Elphie - or Fiyero or Glinda, for that matter. Not permanently, anyway *smirk*. Why I didn't say so before? Because I love messing with you guys. Your reactions make me laugh :D.**

**Oh, by the way, brownie points for Wicked4Life (again ^^)! The song was indeed 'Thirty Years of Tears' by John Hiatt :).**

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

* * *

After having endured endless tears and hugs from Glinda – and even a few from Corrin – Elphaba left the palace and headed towards the Vinkus. On her way there, she tried to think of a plan. How should she tell Fiyero? She couldn't very well walk up to him and say, 'Hi, it's me, I'm still alive!', right? She'd give him a heart attack.

Actually, she mused, steering her broom around a mountain top, she'd give him a heart attack no matter which way she told him. Glinda and Corrin had told her how he had been holding up – or how he _hadn't_ been holding up – and even though they had kept the details to a minimum, Elphaba felt incredibly guilty and heartbroken about it. She felt awful about what she had put him – well, all of them – through, even though she hadn't done it on purpose, of course. Dying had hardly been on her to do list. But still, somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that people had suffered because of her _again_. Especially Glinda and Fiyero – as if they hadn't suffered enough already because of her and her actions.

She sighed and tried to focus on the 'how-do-I-tell-Fiyero-I'm-alive-again'-problem. She still couldn't think of a way to do it and _not _scare him to death, and finally, she came to the conclusion that she had to use his family. If she told them first, they could gently break the news to Fiyero, thus lessening the shock when he'd see her. It wasn't perfect, but who cared? All that mattered was that soon, they would be together again.

She flew the rest of the night and walked the following day – to make sure no one could see her flying on her broomstick by daylight – and after flying a few hours more, she landed in the castle gardens sometime after sunset. There was something going on in the rose garden, she noted immediately; some people were gathered together between the flowerbeds, softly talking to one another. She recognised the royal family among them and she decided to go and see what was going on.

Again, she left her broom in a corner and slipped into the shadows, swiftly and quietly moving closer. There were about ten people there; she saw King Harold and Queen Yasminia, and the two princesses. The other people she did not recognise, but from the way they were interacting with the Tiggulars, Elphaba could conclude that most of them must be close friends, perhaps even family.

She studied the two princesses for a moment. Anwen was dressed in a dark blue velvet dress with long, flaring sleeves; Rayenna, who was carrying Nuki in her arms, wore a dark purple dress, the bodice of which tightly hugged her slim forms, with a full skirt. Both looked as if they had been crying, and it was only then Elphaba noted that everyone's clothes were a dark colour. Suddenly, she went very cold as a suspicion dawned on her. Could this be…

She left the shadows and slowly approached the princesses, making sure to cover her skin with her cloak. 'Excuse me?' she asked politely when she had reached the girls. Anwen and Rayenna both turned to look at her, but didn't recognise her – as had been Elphaba's intention. 'May I ask what exactly is going on?'

Rayenna merely gave her a sad smile and hugged Nuki, who was crying quietly, as Anwen softly explained, 'We're saying goodbye to a very close friend of ours who has passed on a week ago.'

Elphaba blinked. So it _was _what it looks like. They were having a wake… for _her_? 'A very close friend, you say?'

Anwen nodded. 'We didn't know her for all that long,' she said quietly. 'But… well, she was important to us. We couldn't attend the burial, so we're having a small wake of our own here today. Her name was Elphaba.'

Elphaba shook her head in disbelief, genuinely touched by the gesture. 'Sweet Oz,' she exclaimed softly, more to herself than to the girls in front of her. 'Frankly, I thought everyone – with very few exceptions – would only celebrate my death. I would _never _have imagined someone to have a wake for me.'

Anwen stared at her, confusion clearly written all over her face, but both Rayenna and Nuki immediately connected the dots. Nuki stopped crying and stared at the figure in the dark cloak, and Rayenna's eyes widened. 'No…' she whispered. 'It can't be.' She lifted one arm, hesitated for a clock-tick, and then pulled back the hood that was covering Elphaba's face. Both sisters and Nuki gasped simultaneously and Elphaba winced slightly. 'Please believe me when I say this was _not _how I wanted you to find out.'

'Elphaba!' the three of them shrieked and before she knew it, she was nearly thrown over as they flung themselves at her. Nuki practically jumped her, landing in her arms, and rubbed her head against the green girl's chest, and Anwen and Rayenna tried to hug her at the same time, which didn't really work all that well, but none of them cared.

The excited shrieks caught the attention of Queen Yasminia, who was just saying goodbye to the final guests, and she frowned slightly. As soon as the guests had left, she went over to where her daughters were apparently smothering someone – or so it looked. 'Girls,' she begun sternly, 'what did I tell you about…' She fell silent as the guest came into view.

'Mom!' Anwen exclaimed. 'Look! Elphaba is alive!' She was jumping up and down with excitement, and Elphaba couldn't help but laugh at that.

'I can see that, thank you, honey,' the Queen replied drily. She eyed Elphaba up and down, clearly not believing her eyes. 'Sweet Oz, Elphaba… Does Fiyero know yet?'

That was a refreshing question – until now, everyone had started with 'How is this possible?'. Elphaba looked at Fiyero's mother a bit guiltily. 'Not yet. I… I wasn't sure how to tell him,' she confessed. 'I thought perhaps it would be easier if one of you would tell him first, so that he can…'

Queen Yasminia, however, was already shaking her head. 'You should go see him yourself,' she said. 'He's in his room – you know where that is. Meet us in the library afterwards and then you can tell us everything, but you have to go and see Yero first.'

Elphaba nodded. 'I will.'

'He hasn't been to the wake,' Rayenna said quietly. 'We asked him to come, but he didn't want to. He barely leaves his room – he barely eats or drinks, he barely sleeps. He just sits there, doing nothing. We have been worried about him.'

'But he's going to be so much better now!' Anwen beamed. 'Oz, I want to see his face when he realises you're alive!'

'Anwen,' her mother said sternly. The girl made a face. 'I know. I wasn't proposing to come _with _Elphaba, or something. I just… never mind.' She gestured towards the door. 'Just go and see him.'

Elphaba kissed the top of Nuki's head and handed her back to Rayenna. 'I'll be back,' she promised the Cat, who merely smiled at her, clearly overjoyed to know that Elphaba indeed _would _come back.

* * *

Elphaba made her way through the hallways and up the stairs, to where she knew Fiyero's bedroom to be, and she stopped front of the door. She took a deep breath and quietly opened it, closing it again behind her.

Fiyero was sitting in the window sill, staring outside the window, his back towards her. He didn't even look up, but he must have heard her, because he said flatly, 'Go away.'

She didn't, of course. Instead, she quietly took off her cloak and hung it over a nearby chair, before taking a few tentative steps forward. 'Yero?'

He tensed visibly. It wasn't the nickname that did it - his mother and sisters called him 'Yero' sometimes, too. It wasn't even that he recognised her voice, or sensed her presence – he'd been hearing her voice and feeling her presence everywhere for the past few days, and it had never been her. There was no reason this time would be different… and yet he knew. He didn't _think _it was her, he didn't _hope _it was her – well, of course he did, but he didn't _just _hope it was her; somehow, he _knew _it was her.

It wasn't _what _she had said, it was the _way_ in which she had said it, he realised. Because only she was capable of putting so much emotion, so much guilt and relief and sadness and hurt and above all, love, into one single word. He didn't breathe; he didn't turn around, scared to death that he was imagining things again, not wanting to hope, because he didn't think he could bear the disappointment of her not being there. Not again.

He kept his gaze fixed on the stars in the night sky outside the window, unable to move or even think. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself and convince himself to stop dreaming and hoping and wishing for things that could never happen, and when he opened his eyes again… he caught her reflexion in the glass.

That one glimpse was enough to make him whirl around, nearly cricking his neck in the process, and there she was. Right in front of him. He stared at her, he saw her, but he was unable to comprehend what was right in front of his nose.

She felt tears stinging her eyes as she saw his face. There were dark circles underneath his eyes and he looked as if he hadn't taken care of himself at all. But the worst part was the haunted, yet empty look in his sapphire eyes. She had never seen him like this before and she felt awful about it, because she knew it was her death that had caused it to happen.

He blinked a few times and she looked at him. 'Yero?' she asked again, softly, and slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet hers. 'Fae?' he croaked uncertainly, clearly still not believing his own eyes, and she smiled softly at him. 'It's me,' she confirmed, and it was as if those words lit a fire inside his eyes, because suddenly, they were sparkling again, brighter than she had ever seen them. He got up and tentatively walked up to her, but stopped right in front of her. He lifted his hand and hesitated for a moment, as if she would disappear the moment he touched her. She didn't, of course, and when he cupped her face with both his hands, tears sprang to his eyes. 'It _is _you,' he whispered, his voice breaking, and then he crushed her to him. He buried his face in her soft, silky hair, breathing in her scent. Every feeling he had suppressed in the past week suddenly bubbled to the surface and he started sobbing, wretched and broken sobs, only slightly muffled by the fact most of his face was still buried in her hair.

She, too, was crying now, and she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes as she melted into his embrace. Oz, she had missed this – even though she knew time had passed so much faster for her than it had for those she had left behind.

She felt him tighten his grip around her and she looked up at him. 'I love you so much,' she whispered, barely believing that she actually had the chance to say the words to him, instead of mulling them over and over in her head, wishing she'd still be alive so she could let him know.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he leaned down and kissed her, softly, as if to reassure himself that this was really happening. She slid her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss and she closed her eyes, cherishing every single moment she had with him.

When they finally pulled apart slightly to catch their breath, Fiyero leaned his forehead against hers and the widest smile she had ever seen on someone's face broke through on his. 'I can't believe you're really here,' he admitted softly.

She involuntarily let out a girlish giggle that sounded much like one of Glinda's, but she didn't even care – she was just so happy. 'Me neither.'

He looked into her large, dark eyes and softly trailed his finger down her face. She pressed her cheek against his hand as she looked up at him, and he shook his head a little. 'But… this isn't possible. You were dead,' he protested, and she nodded earnestly. 'I was.'

'But how…' he started, but she cut him off by gently pressing her finger against his lips. 'Later,' she promised, and he was actually quite happy to leave it at that, not wanting to waste their time together with talking. His lips brushed her brow and he started planting light kisses on her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, her neck, her collarbone - on every inch of green skin he could lay his eyes on. She pressed herself tighter against him and moaned softly as his lips found hers again in a hungry, almost desperate kiss.

After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled back just a little, breathless, and he rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, letting the wonderful sense of her presence wash over him. He still couldn't believe she was really there, and he had no idea how this was even possible, but he found that he didn't care. All that mattered was that she _was_, in fact, here with him.

They stood like that for a long time, just content holding each other. She laced her fingers with his and looked up at him. 'We should go downstairs,' she said softly. 'Your family is waiting for us.'

He nodded, but didn't let go of her. Instead, he slid his arm around her waist and kept her as close to him as he possibly could when they started walking in the direction of the library together.

* * *

It took her a while to explain everything to the Tiggulars and Nuki, and naturally, there were lots of questions, tears and hugs. Nuki had nestled herself on the green girl's lap and declared she wouldn't leave her spot for the rest of the night, which indeed she didn't. Elphaba stroked the Cat's fur absent-mindedly, listening to Anwen's excited rambling.

'But what if Morrible strikes again?' Rayenna, who had seemed lost in thought, suddenly asked. Anwen fell silent and Elphaba saw Fiyero's face fall at the mere thought, but she squeezed his hand reassuringly. 'She won't.'

Everyone stared at her. 'What do you mean, she won't?' Anwen demanded. 'She's been after you for, like, _forever_, Elphaba – she's not just going to give up.'

'No, she wouldn't,' Elphaba quietly agreed, fearing the reactions at what she was about to say. 'If she would still be alive.'

Again, baffled stares. 'Y-you mean,' Anwen choked out, struggling with words, 'that you…'

'I had to,' Elphaba said softly, not looking straight at anyone. 'I'm not proud of it. But I couldn't risk her coming after Glinda again… or after one of you.' She swallowed. 'I suppose my reputation as 'wicked' is finally justified.'

'Hey,' Fiyero said gently, catching her chin and making her look at him. 'You are not wicked, okay? If anyone in all of Oz is _not _wicked, it's you. Morrible, _she _was wicked.'

Elphaba lowered her gaze. She had been wondering about this. It was never justified to kill a person, was it? If you killed someone for noble reasons, for protecting the ones that are family to you, would that make you a bad person? Elphaba thought it did, but apparently, the Tiggulars disagreed.

'Elphaba,' Queen Yasminia said solemnly, leaning forward and taking the green girl's hands in hers. 'You did the right thing. Morrible was too dangerous to be left alive – you know that even better than I do. You didn't have a choice. You did what was necessary to protect us, Elphaba, and we're very grateful for that.' There were actual tears in her eyes when she gently squeezed Elphaba's hands and added, 'And we're incredibly grateful, too, for the fact that you are with us again. It wasn't just Yero that missed you, Elphaba – it was all of us. You're a part of this family, and we were all devastated when we heard about your death.'

Those words almost caused Elphaba to burst into tears, but somehow, she managed to hold them back. Instead, she hugged the Queen warmly. 'Thank you,' she said softly, but very sincerely. 'Thank you all so much. For everything. I can't tell you what it means to me to be part of a family.'

'You'll get back at that once my daughters start treating you as such,' King Harold warned, and they all laughed at that, washing away the final tension from the room.

'Oh, yes,' Anwen agreed cheerfully. 'You'd better watch your back, Elphie – can I call you Elphie? I think it sounds nice.'

'_No_!' Elphaba moaned in mock despair, burying her face in her hands, and more laughter filled the room. 'Sorry, An, but that nickname is occupied by someone else,' Fiyero told his little sister with a grin. 'Try to think of one of your own.'

Elphaba glared at him. 'You just _have _to encourage her, don't you?'

He laughed and merely planted a kiss on her brow. Rayenna looked at Elphaba thoughtfully. 'So you've never really felt like part of a family before?' she asked.

Elphaba shook her head. 'I _had _one, obviously, but… Well, I told you about my family history before, didn't I? My mother died when I was three, my father has hated me all my life and my sister… she used to be the closest thing I had to a real family, but in the end…' She let her voice trail away, unsure at how to end that sentence, and she shook her head. Tonight was not the time to dwell on the past. 'Anyway… I just want you to know how grateful I am for everything you've done for me.'

'Oh, don't be silly,' Queen Yasminia protested. 'We haven't done anything at all!'

'Yes you have,' Elphaba countered softly. She smiled at Fiyero's mother. 'You gave me a family.'

* * *

They talked even more after that, for a long time; it was far past midnight when they finally decided to retreat to bed.

Elphaba sighed happily as she snuggled up to Fiyero, and he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close, kissing the top of her head. 'I missed you so much,' he murmured into her hair.

'I missed you, too,' she replied softly, marvelling in the sensation of being in his arms again. She felt him smile. He tangled his hand in her hair, enjoying the sensation of the silky strands between his fingers, and then traced the line of her jaw with his forefinger. 'Do you have any idea how beautiful you are just now?' he whispered softly.

He expected her to scoff at him, or make a sarcastic comment, or merely roll her eyes, but she didn't. Instead, she looked up at him with wide, doe-like eyes, and he was a little unnerved when he noticed that there were tears in them. 'Fae?' he asked worriedly. 'Are you okay?'

She let out a sound that was something between a sob and a laugh, and then she startled him by flinging herself at him, winding her arms around his neck tightly and kissing him as if it was the last thing she'd ever do. She kissed him until she couldn't breathe and when she backed away a little and noted the confused expression on his face, she smiled and kissed him again. 'Oh, Yero,' she said quietly with another half-laugh, half-sob, her voice thick with unshed tears. 'I love you so, so much.'

He kissed her softly and gently wiped the tears from her face, kissing the trails they had left on her cheeks. 'I love you, Fae.'

And that was all she could ever ask for.


	24. A Leap Of Faith

**AN: No, that wasn't the final chapter - although it would have made a nice ending, wouldn't it? **

**But there are still a few loose ends and so a few more chapters, too. I'm actually considering a sequel; I really loved writing this, and as Silvine Graycine pointed out, a few weddings and/or births here and here would be nice, right? If I did, in fact, post a sequel, would you be interested?**

**Anyway, thank you for your wonderful reviews again and I'll make sure to let you know when this story _does _end :).**

**Disclaimer: I'm not that girl.**

* * *

'Hey, Fae,' Fiyero greeted her as he walked into the library. She merely lifted one hand to wave at him half-heartedly, not taking her eyes off the book in front of her.

'What are you doing?'

'Studying,' she replied, her gaze still fixed on the page in front of her. She frowned as she tried to decipher the old Gillikin dialect the book was written in.

'Studying?' Fiyero repeated incredulously. 'For what, in Oz' name?'

'For the purpose of my brain not shutting down because of a lack of stimulation.'

He snorted. 'Like that's ever going to happen. Even without a brain, you'd be the smartest person in all of Oz.'

Usually, she would have made a sarcastic comment at that point, but she didn't. Her near-death experience – or, well, her death experience - had caused her to look at things another way, especially when it came to Fiyero. No more sarcastic remarks and no more scoffing. From now on, she would accept his compliments – if only because it would make him happy.

And so she said, 'That's really sweet of you, love, but I still like to keep my brain busy. And I like reading – you know that.'

He nodded, sitting himself down on the couch next to her and peering at the book in her hands. 'I can't read that.'

'It's an old Gillikin dialect.'

'Can _you _read it?'

'Do you think I'd be absorbed in a book if I couldn't read it?' she asked, faintly amused, and he laughed at that. 'I guess you're right.'

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. 'Of course, I can think of much more interesting things to do than reading…'

She chuckled and gave in, putting her book aside and looking him in the eye solemnly. 'Like what, exactly?'

'Like this,' he murmured, moving closer to her and overcoming the distance between their lips in a soft, loving kiss.

'Mm,' she said, smiling against his lips. 'That _is _more interesting.'

He kept her on his lap, her hear resting against his shoulder, as he softly asked, 'What are we going to do now?'

She sighed. 'I don't know. You can resume your duties as Prince of the Vinkus, and me... Well, I suppose I'll have to stay in hiding for the rest of my life.'

He didn't look very happy about that. He buried his face in her neck and sighed, too. 'I don't want your life to be like that, Fae.'

'Neither do I,' she said, 'but I don't really have a choice, now do I? And besides, I don't care.' She shook her head. 'As long as I have you, I'll be fine.'

'Of course you have me,' he whispered, kissing her neck. 'I've always been yours, and I always will be.'

She smiled and hugged him, before getting off his lap and picking up her book again. 'To be honest, that's also something I've been searching for,' she confessed. 'I hoped maybe one of these books would give me an idea of how to solve this, you know, without me hiding for the rest of my life.'

'And?' he asked, curious. She shook her head. 'Nothing so far.'

'Is it a spell book?' he asked, peering at the book in her hand curiously. She nodded. 'It contains recipes for potions, spells, but also just wise words from one shaman or another,' she explained. 'I've been going through these kinds of things for the past few days, but I've had no luck at all. I'm not even sure what I'm looking for, either, which doesn't make the search any easier.' She opened the book at a random page to show him what it contained, but as she read the words on the page, her eyes widened. 'Oh, my,' she whispered, pulling the book towards her, her eyes shimmering with excitement. 'This is perfect!'

'Fae?'

'Fiyero,' she said, getting up and walking towards the mirror, inspecting her mirror image, 'I need you to make an announcement.'

'What about?' he asked, puzzled. He didn't have a clue as to what was going on, not what she was talking about and not what she was doing – she _never _paid any attention to her mirror image, so why was she staring at herself like that now?

'I want you to tell the people of Oz that you, with the love spell finally lifted, fell in love with someone else.'

His eyes darkened as he figured where this was going. It wouldn't be the first time she'd try to leave him 'for his own good'. 'And who would that 'someone else' be, exactly?' he demanded, his voice dangerously low.

She looked at him as if he didn't get it at all, and apparently, he didn't, because she said simply, 'Me, of course.'

His anger faded immediately and was replaced with confusion. 'Huh?'

'We're going public,' she announced, and he blinked at her. Suddenly, she felt a little insecure. 'You _do _want to be with me, don't you? In public, I mean?'

'Of course!' he hurried to reassure her. 'It's just… I don't get it, honestly. You expect me to announce to the people of Oz that even with that non-existent love spell gone, I'm still in love with the Wicked Witch of the West? That's insane.'

She shook her head. 'No, I don't want you to say that you're in love with the Wicked Witch of the West. She is dead, and I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind. No more broomsticks or other Wicked Witch-business for me.' She fell silent and looked at him. 'You're going to announce that you're in love with Elphaba Thropp.'

'What if they recognise your name?'

'They won't. Nobody knows the real name of the Wicked Witch except for a handful of people, some of whom are dead and the others I trust. There won't be any danger there.'

'But still,' he protested. 'They'll take one look at you and run for their pitchforks again. No offense, but the green is kind of a giveaway.'

She nodded confidently. 'No worries. I've got a plan.'

He narrowed his eyes at her. 'Does this plan involve you disappearing to Oz-knows-where without telling me anything?'

She laughed and came over to hug him. 'Not this time. I promise. This time… I'm actually going to tell you everything and I need you to help me.'

'In that case…' He looked at the book she was still holding, and then at her glimmering eyes. 'I'm listening.'

* * *

Glinda the Good was in the dining room with Corrin, giggling endlessly as he was flirtatiously feeding her bits of fruit, kissing her in between every two pieces, when there was a knock on the door. She quickly pulled back, fanning her flushed face and trying to suppress her giggles, as she called, 'Come in!'

'Lady Glinda?' A guard came in, but lingered at the door, clearly hesitating if he should come in further. She smiled and beckoned him, and relieved, he took a few steps closer to her. 'Lady Glinda… Prince Fiyero is here to see you, along with a girl that says she's a close friend of yours – one Elphaba Thropp?'

Glinda felt a rush of anger flow through her body at the thought of her friend endangering herself to come and see her. How had she gotten in without being recognised? Surely her guards wouldn't have let in a girl with green skin, but she was pretty sure they wouldn't let in a stranger wrapped in a black cloak, either, so how had Elphaba done that?

The doors swung open and Elphaba came striding in, back straight and chin up, in full, green glory. 'Hello, Glinda! It's me, your dear friend _Elphaba Thropp_!' she exclaimed, emphasising her name and talking loud enough so that a group of other palace inhabitants, who were having dinner on the other side of the room, could hear her, too. She then looked at Fiyero, who was standing behind her, triumphantly. 'See? My name doesn't ring _any _bells, with _anyone_, Yero.'

'Fine, you win,' he grumbled and she laughed.

Glinda, in the meantime, had jumped up from the table. 'What in Oz' name do you think you're _doing_?!' she demanded.

Elphaba put on a sad face. 'I'm here to turn myself in,' she said dramatically.

'_What_?!' Glinda shrieked, which made the people in the far corner look up in surprise. Elphaba hurried to reassure her blonde friend. 'Oz, Glinda, I was only joking!'

'Not. Funny,' Glinda breathed, clutching her chest with one hand in a rather dramatic gesture. Elphaba rolled her eyes, but Glinda wasn't done yet. 'Seriously, what are you doing here? What if someone recognises you?'

Her green friend looked at her innocently. 'What do you mean?'

The blonde turned to Fiyero. 'What is going on?'

'Relax, Glinda,' Elphaba said, rolling her eyes. 'No one is going to recognise me.'

'No, because the palace is crowded with _green women_,' Glinda said pointedly, keeping her voice down so no one could overhear. Elphaba only laughed again. 'Green? What are you talking about, green? I'm not green.'

Glinda stared at her, convinced that her friend had finally and completely lost her mind now. 'Elphie…'

'Could we go and talk somewhere private?' Fiyero asked a bit nervously, glancing around the room. He had faith in Elphaba and in her plan, but he was a little bit afraid of Glinda's reaction and he'd rather not have her attract any more attention to them than she already had.

Glinda nodded wordlessly and dragged them with her to her rooms, Corrin trailing after her, where she carefully closed the door and turned to face them. 'Now please explain something to me. Why are you here, in the middle of the day, where everyone can see you, and, I can't believe I have to point this out to you, your green skin? I'm surprised no one went running out into the City screaming about you being alive just yet.'

Elphaba smiled. 'Like I said, Glinda. No one will recognise me because I'm not green.'

'What do you mean, you're not green?!' Glinda shouted. She whirled around to face Fiyero. 'Has she gone insane?'

'I'm right here, you know,' Elphaba said drily. 'I can hear you.'

Fiyero sighed and rolled his eyes at his lover. 'Fae, just show her already.'

'Fine.' She took Glinda's hand and led her to Glinda's favourite mirror – an enormous thing that went all the way from the floor to the ceiling. 'Look.'

Glinda looked in the mirror and gasped. There was her own mirror image – nothing strange about that. Next to own mirror image was a girl with waist long, black hair, dark eyebrows, large, brown eyes, a black dress… and creamy white skin.

Glinda whipped her head around to look at her friend – the real Elphaba, not the mirror image – and she blinked a few times. Elphaba didn't look any different than she had before, and yet the mirror told her something else. 'How in Oz did you…'

Elphaba smirked. 'It's a disguise spell I found in the library at Adurin Iir,' she explained, leading the blonde to the sitting area, where they both took a seat. 'To be precise, everyone will see me with normal skin except for,' she closed her eyes as she tried to recall the exact translation of the words of the spell, 'I think it was 'those I call family'. Which doesn't necessarily mean they _are _family – it means the ones I see as such, which includes you.'

Glinda blinked. 'But…'

'I suppose I could have changed my appearance entirely,' Elphaba answered the blonde's next question before she had even asked it. 'But… I've been green my entire life. It's part of who I am. It would just feel really wrong to me to be normal now. Plus, Fiyero would kill me.'

The Vinkun Prince smirked. 'I most certainly would. You are never to change _anything _about yourself, Fae. You're perfect just the way you are.'

'So…' Glinda tried to wrap her mind around this. 'You still _are _green, but no one but 'those you call family' will see you as such?'

Elphaba nodded. 'That's the idea.'

'So my guards, and everyone who've seen you walking through the City and the palace…'

'…saw a perfectly normal person,' Elphaba finished, nodding. 'I'm positive no one will ever recognise me as the former Wicked Witch of the West without my green skin.'

Glinda nodded slowly as she mused over the idea. 'You know? That's actually pretty smart.'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'Thanks, Glin,' she said sarcastically.

The blonde giggled and hugged her friend. 'Oh, but Elphie, this is great! You can go out in public now!'

'That's the idea,' Elphaba agreed.

'And have a really big wedding with Fiyero in the Emerald City!'

'Now wait just a clock-tick…'

'And you can attend _my _wedding with Corrin!'

'Did you propose to her?' Fiyero whispered to Corrin in surprise, but the other man shook his head. 'Not that I recall, no.'

'She tends to do that,' Elphaba told him, grinning. Glinda frowned at her. 'What are you talking about?'

'Don't tell me you don't remember,' Elphaba said with raised eyebrows. She fluttered her eyelashes and used a high-pitched voice in imitation of Glinda – or Galinda – at Shiz so many years ago. 'Fiyero and I are going to be married!'

Glinda blushed. 'Well, yes, I see your point.'

'And that was only _hours _after you met him,' Elphaba pointed out.

Fiyero stared at her in horror. 'She _didn't_!'

Glinda giggled. 'Yes, I did. Oh, come on, you have to admit it – we were perfect together!'

'We would have been if we were who we pretended to be,' Fiyero admitted softly, and Glinda smiled at him. 'Well, it turned out for the best, didn't it? No offense, but... I'm actually glad we broke up. We wouldn't have worked together, anyway – and if we hadn't broken up, I would have never met the _true_ love of my life.' She lightly kissed Corrin's cheek and he beamed at her.

Fiyero nodded gravely, wrapping his arm around Elphaba's waist and drawing her closer to him. 'I know exactly what you mean – even though me finding the true love of my life was actually the reason we broke up in the first place.'

Glinda made a face. 'Let's not make it complicated now, okay? My blonde brain can't handle that.'

They all laughed at that, but then Fiyero grew serious again. 'Glin? I would like to make an official announcement of my being together with Elphaba.'

She nodded immediately. 'Of course! I'll take care of it!'

'How will we introduce her?' Corrin asked thoughtfully. 'I mean, she has to come from somewhere, doesn't she? We can't just say 'This is Fiyero's new love Elphaba who just happened to drop from the sky!'.'

'We'll pretend she's a family member of mine,' Glinda offered, thinking. 'Some far away cousin, or something like that?'

Elphaba nodded. 'I guess. People would never doubt that if _you _told them.'

'So that's settled, then,' Glinda nodded, satisfied. 'I'll go make the arrangements right now!' She immediately breezed past them and through the door, leaving the three of them alone.

Corrin looked at Elphaba. 'You know? You look green to me, too.'

She smiled. 'I think of you as family. Big brother, right?'

'Who else can see the real you?'

She paused for a moment to think about that. 'Fiyero and his family, plus Nuki – I tested that right after I cast the spell back at Adurin Iir. You and Glinda, apparently… I'd imagine Maráni would see the real me, too.'

'And Oscar?'

She looked at him in wonder. 'I hadn't even thought about that, can you believe it? I'm not sure. I'll find out next time I see him.'

They agreed to stay at the palace until after the announcement was made. Glinda and Corrin arranged everything for them and when Elphaba was finally standing behind the stage, preparing for her big presentation to the people, she felt butterflies flutter around in her stomach. What if this had been the wrong choice? What if they _would_, in fact, recognise her? She wished she could still stop the whole thing, but Glinda was already on stage.

She felt Fiyero slide his arms around her waist from behind. 'Don't be scared. It'll all be fine, I promise.'

She sighed and leaned into him. 'I know. It's just… I _hate _people.'

'I know.'

'And I hate being the centre of attention – even though somehow I always seem to be just that.'

She felt him smile. 'And you're afraid someone will recognise you and you have to run again.'

She turned around in amazement. 'How did you know?'

'I can read minds,' he told her earnestly, kissing her forehead. 'No, that's not true. I can read _your _mind.'

The crowd fell silent and Glinda started to speak, causing Fiyero and Elphaba to turn towards the stage. 'Fellow Ozians,' Glinda began, holding up her wand to silence the cheers from the crowd. 'I am here today because my former fiancé, Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, and I wanted to make an announcement. As you all know, he's been under a love spell ever since the Wicked Witch laid eyes on him.'

Elphaba felt his grip tighten around her and she kissed his cheek softly. 'Stop it. You know she has to do this.'

'I still don't like it,' he muttered angrily. 'As if you'd ever put a love spell on me.'

'_They_ believe I would – and did.'

'I have been able to lift the spell and set him free some time ago,' Glinda continued, evoking more cheers from the people. 'And today I have really thrillifying news!'

'I know some of you were expecting him and me to get back together,' she went on and a few people exulted as Glinda held up one hand. 'Let me just clear things up and tell you that is _not _going to happen.'

There were some disappointed sounds from the audience, but Glinda shook her head, smiling. 'Fiyero and I were never meant for each other – I can see that now. I was meant for Corrin.' She looked to the side, where he was standing among the audience, and smiled at him. 'And Fiyero… he was meant for someone else too. And today we're all here together so that you, my fellows Ozians, can meet this particular girl.'

The people acted excited now, and Elphaba felt a slight flutter of hope. Perhaps they would accept her after all. Perhaps this would actually go well. She turned to face Fiyero, fumbling the hem of her dress self-consciously. 'How do I look?'

'Gorgeous,' he told her seriously, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. She sighed. 'I still can't believe I let Glinda talk me into wearing _red _today. It so totally clashes with my skin.'

'I think it looks amazing,' he said truthfully. 'Both on you _and _on your mirror image.'

She smiled slightly. 'That last part, I agree with. I do think it looks quite nice on my white-skinned self.'

He sighed dramatically. 'Finally!' he exclaimed in mock despair. 'I got her to admit that she is beautiful!'

'I never said such a thing,' she teased him. 'All I said was that my dress looks good on my not-quite-self.'

'It's a start,' he replied, drawing her into his arms and kissing her.

Glinda told the people a made-up story about her distant cousin Elphaba, who had lived in Munchkinland all her life but recently moved to the Vinkus – which was actually sort of true – where she had met Fiyero and they had fallen desperately in love. The people all let out 'ooh's and 'aah's at that before Glinda gently urged them to silence again. 'Elphaba,' she said, letting her gaze drift over the people, 'hasn't always been a constant presence in my life, which is one of the reasons why you haven't known about her before. She is very important to me, however; she is the best friend I ever had, and she taught me so much about so many things. She had been the sister I never had and I love her very much.' The blonde looked back at Elphaba at that, a smile on her face. The green girl smiled, too; she pointed at herself, then put one hand over her heart and pointed at Glinda, mouthing 'I love you too'.

'And so,' Glinda went on, the smile still on her face – not her usual, fake, plastered, bubbly smile, but a genuinely happy smile, 'I am very happy to present to you Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus and Miss Elphaba Thropp!'

In a daze, Elphaba stepped up onto the stage, squinting against the bright sun shining in her eyes. Fiyero was right beside her, steadying her with his hand on the small of her back, as they came forward. It took Elphaba a few moments to realise that these people, these Ozians who had hated her and cried for her death mere months ago, were now cheering for her, already loving her if only because she was a close friend of Glinda's. She tried not to think about the hypocrisy of that as she looked at her blonde friend and smiled at her. Glinda took her hand and hugged her. 'I meant that, Elphie,' she whispered in the witch's ear. 'Every word.'

'I know you did, Glin,' Elphaba smiled in return. 'I feel the same way about you, you know. It's true what I told you before – you're the only, and best, friend I've ever had.'

The blonde hugged her again before leading her up to the front of the stage, which caused the people to cheer even louder, and they started chanting her name. 'Elphaba! Elphaba!'

'This must be the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me,' she muttered under her breath to Fiyero, who merely planted a kiss on her hair. 'The people love you now. However hypocrite and perhaps even infuriating that might be, enjoy it,' he suggested with a warm smile. 'Oz knows you deserve their love.'

She reached for his hand and laced her fingers with his as she let her gaze drift over the people, absorbing the sight of it. _A celebration throughout Oz, that's all to do with me. _She smiled slightly at the thought. It wasn't a celebration throughout Oz yet, but somehow, she just knew it would be one day. This was the start of her new life, and she vowed in silence that she would cherish every single moment of it.

* * *

**Not finished yet! ;) Please review!**


	25. Ever Ever After

**AN: So this is it, then. The epilogue. I want to thank you all so very much for reviewing/following/adding this story as a favourite, and for reading this in general (also to my silent readers, if I have any). This has been my very first Wicked fanfic ever, I've been very hesitant about posting it, but I'm glad I did. **

**So: thank you so much ComingAndGoingByBubble, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness, RavenCurls, James Birdsong, Wicked4Life, WickedAddict, Annabeth Granger, Guest, ElphabaCanFigureSkate, cjm184, EvilLoveTriangle, Fae the Queen, TazmaniaLizard, Susana, Silvine Graycine, ExoticPeachBlossom, Cynthia Krenshaw, xXStefyXx and Megan133 (yes, I actually read back all of your reviews to make sure I didn't forget anyone). Most of you have been reading this ever since I started it and supporting me all the way through. ****You were all so great!**

**Disclaimer: Still not mine.**

* * *

_Each happy ending's a brand new beginning_

_Forever could even start today_

_Maybe it's just one wish away_

_Your ever ever after_

* * *

Fiyero found her in the bedroom, where she was standing in front of the floor length mirror, looking at her own reflection with an expression of pure loathing on her face. She turned when she heard him enter. 'I can't _believe _I let Glinda talk me into this dress.'

He chuckled. 'Oh, come on, you could have seen it coming.'

'I did.' She turned back to the mirror and looked at herself in disgust. 'I've been _begging _Glinda not to do this to me, but she insisted it is _her _wedding – she's right about that, of course – and then started rambling about how a pink bridesmaid's dress would look so amazing next to her because it would match with her wedding dress, and how it would look so amazing on me because it would match with the specific shade of my skin… The skin everyone can see, obviously, not my real skin. Pink does not go all that good with green, as you can see for yourself. I don't even know what she said after that – I kind of tuned out after 'specific shade'.'

He laughed again and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. He looked at their reflection and smiled. 'You look beautiful.'

She rolled her eyes at him, allowing herself to make fun of him this once because she knew she looked absolutely ridiculous. 'Thank Oz only a handful of people can see 'how good pink goes with green'.'

His gaze suddenly grew serious. 'It's not right.'

She looked him in the eye via the mirror, a confused look on her face. 'What? The dress? That's what I've been telling you for the past few minutes, Fiyero – it looks horrible on me. Have you been listening at all?'

'Not the dress,' he interjected. 'This. The skin.' He gestured with one hand to their mirror image, indicating her fair skin. 'It's still beautiful, don't get me wrong, it's just… not right. It's not you.'

She smiled at that, tears glistening in her eyes. 'Oh, Yero…'

'I'm sorry,' he apologised, mentally kicking himself for upsetting her. 'I know this is what you always wanted, but…'

She shook her head. 'It's not.' She paused for a moment. 'Not anymore, anyway. Because you're right – this isn't me. It's just… you're the only one to acknowledge that so far,' she admitted. 'Everyone so far only told me how good it looked, and Glinda, of course, immediately started summing up every colour that would look good on me now, with my new complexion…'

He chuckled faintly at that, imagining the picture in his head.

'…but no one saw how _wrong _this is,' she finished softly, looking at her foreign reflection. 'It doesn't feel right. When I see myself like this… I don't feel like me anymore.'

'But you _are _you,' he stated simply, trailing his finger down her bare arm, locking eyes with her in the mirror. 'You are not just your skin, Fae – nor are you just your intelligence, or your magical powers, or your beauty. You are you because you are all those things combined in one amazing person, and the colour of your skin doesn't change anything about that. Although,' he continued, not taking his eyes off hers when he lowered his head and brushed her bare shoulder with his lips, 'I'm happy to still be able to see the real you, the green you. It suits you better.'

She smiled at him and allowed herself to melt into his embrace for a moment. 'I still can't believe Glinda and Corrin are actually getting married,' she mumbled, shaking her head in disbelief.

A few months ago, not too long after Elphaba's presentation to Oz, Glinda had come over to the Vinkus, where Elphaba and Fiyero had been staying. No one had known about her trip, so Elphaba had been absolutely startled when the blonde suddenly came dashing into her room, squealing. 'Glinda? What in Oz are you doing here?'

'He _proposed_!' she had shrieked, practically pushing her engagement ring in Elphaba's face. 'Corrin _proposed_! We're going to be _married_!'

She had immediately asked Elphaba to be her maid of honour, and because Glinda was her best friend, she had said yes – even if that meant being dragged throughout the Emerald City for dress shopping, picking out flowers and jewellery for the bride to wear, picking out shoes, of course, and helping the blonde arrange the guest list… Today, however, everything was ready, and she was certain that Glinda was thrillified about this finally happening.

She kissed Fiyero's cheek. 'I have to go. Glinda is waiting for me – I have to help her put on her dress.'

He squeezed her hand. 'I'll see you at the ceremony.'

She nodded and smiled at him before hurrying through the hallways to Glinda's chambers. The other bridesmaids were helping Glinda do her hair and make-up, chattering on about how exciting this all was, and Glinda's eyes lit up as she saw her friend. 'Elphie!' she squealed. 'You look so pretty!'

Elphaba glared at her. 'Not another _word_ if you want to get married in one piece, Miss Upland.'

'Of the _Upper _Uplands,' Glinda corrected her, giggling. She got up, brushing the bridesmaids off of her, and embraced her friend. 'I'm so glad you're here.'

Elphaba patted her back. 'You should get dressed. Or you'll be late for your own wedding.'

'I'm _supposed _to be late,' Glinda stated confidently. '_Fashionably _late.'

The green girl rolled her eyes. 'Would you get dressed already?'

She helped Glinda into her gown and together, they stared at her mirror image for a moment. 'Oh, Glin,' Elphaba finally broke the silence. 'You look _so _beautiful.'

Glinda's wedding dress was floor length, with layers of tulle flowing from her waist down. The silk straps of the dress went around her upper arms instead of over her shoulders and there was a pale pink strip around her waist, as well as several small bows in the same colour scattered across the skirt. She wore her usual tiara and a veil, and the dress had a six metre long trail. Her hair was curled and she was beaming like Elphaba had never seen before.

Glinda hugged her friend again. 'Oh, Elphie, I can't believe this is finally happening!'

'Believe it,' Elphaba told her earnestly. 'You deserve it, Glin.' Together, they looked at their reflection in the mirror again, and Elphaba smiled wryly. 'It actually _does _look kind of good. My dress, I mean. It matches with the pink in your dress.'

Glinda rolled her eyes. '_Of course _it does!' she exclaimed, and Elphaba decided not to reply to that. Instead, she handed Glinda her wedding bouquet, consisting of white and pink roses, before taking her own, smaller bouquet. 'Shall we go?' she suggested. 'They must be waiting for us.'

* * *

Fiyero watched as the bridesmaids started walking down the red carpet, holding pink and white bouquets. Between every two bridesmaids, there was a little girl scattering rose-petals across the floor, and Fiyero couldn't help but roll his eyes fondly at the display. This wedding was just so… _Glinda_.

Elphaba appeared in her pink dress, and she winked at him as she followed the others and took place next to the altar, across from Fiyero. He couldn't keep his eyes off her until the music started to play and the bride appeared – he didn't think Glinda would appreciate him drooling over her maid of honour when this was so clearly _her _day.

It turned out, however, that Glinda wasn't paying attention at all as to whether everyone was directing their attention at her or not. Her shiny blue eyes were locked on one person only – the person standing next to Fiyero in a tux. To his amusement, Fiyero noted the tears in Corrin's eyes as he watched his bride walk down the aisle in awe. She beamed at him as she took her place and the actual ceremony started.

It was a beautiful ceremony. They exchanged their vows, and nearly everyone – including Elphaba, he noted to his amazement – was crying by the time they slid the rings around each other's fingers and shared a soft, loving kiss. Everyone was cheering when they pulled apart, and Fiyero had to admit that Glinda looked happier than he had ever seen her, including on their own engagement party. Looking at her was like squinting into the sun, her smile was so radiating, and Corrin looked just as dreamy. Fiyero was happy for them. They both deserved to be happy together.

He linked arms with Elphaba, as the best man was supposed to do with the maid of honour, and she rested her head against his shoulder as they followed the bridal couple down the red carpet again. 'They both look so happy.'

'That could be us, you know,' he murmured into her ear, and she looked up at him wide-eyed. He laughed. 'What? You honestly thought I intended to spend the rest of my life with you without marrying you?'

'But… but then I would be…'

'My wife? Princess of the Vinkus? Yes. And you'd be wonderful as both,' he told her earnestly as they entered the giant ballroom where the reception would be. She smiled up at him and he kissed her.

They both went separate ways after that – Elphaba went over to Glinda to congratulate her friend, and Fiyero wandered towards where the men were standing to talk to Corrin. The former leader of the Resistance wore a broad grin and Fiyero laughed. 'Looks like you've got it pretty bad.'

'Wait until your own wedding day,' the other man replied, one eyebrow raised, and Fiyero had to admit that he was probably right. 'You're lucky to have her, Corrin,' the Prince said, slapping the groom's shoulder. 'Don't let her slip away.'

'Never,' Corrin told him earnestly, smiling at Glinda as he saw her looking at him. She was still beaming and so was he, Fiyero noticed when he took a closer look at his newly wedded friend. 'Are you going to live in the palace with her?'

Corrin nodded. 'I'll become her co-ruler,' he explained. 'She asked me to be, since I've been helping her out with ruling Oz ever since she became ruler herself, and I said yes. I'd be glad to help her.'

As the night proceeded and both men drank more and more of the exclusive wines Glinda had ordered for the party, they became less and less… well, sober.

'If you're going to be co-ruler, we'll have to find you a nice title,' Fiyero declared. 'You know, something that matches with 'Glinda the Good'. Would have been much easier if it had been me, of course – 'Fiyero the Fantastic' would've been perfect.'

Corrin grinned at that. 'Dream on, Fiyero.'

'What should we do with you?' Fiyero went on, not resisting the urge to provoke the other man. 'Crazy Corrin? Glinda the Good and Crazy Corrin? That sounds pretty cool to me.'

The groom glared at him. 'Corrin the Clever.'

'Corrin the Cruel.'

'You should have a name like that too, you know,' Corrin pointed out. 'I mean, they call your father 'Harold the Wise'. As soon as you become King of the Vinkus, you're going to be…'

'Like I said – Fiyero the Fantastic.'

'I think 'Fiyero the Fool' suits you better.'

'Fiyero the Fair.'

'Farting Fiyero.' They both doubled over with laughter at that, and Glinda and Elphaba, who had approached them and overheard most of the conversation, exchanged looks. 'That,' Glinda declared, 'is _so _childish.'

'And all this time, I've been thinking you finally grew up,' Elphaba sighed to Fiyero as she took his arm. He gave her a crooked grin as he turned to face her, swaying slightly. 'Just men talk, Fae.'

'"Farting Fiyero"? Is that men talk?' Glinda demanded. 'In that case, I don't _ever _want to have a conversation with a man again.'

Both men burst out laughing again and Elphaba rolled her eyes at Glinda. 'Just ignore them. They'll sober up eventually.'

Glinda groaned. 'This is _so _unromantic. Am I supposed to have my wedding night with _this_?' She waved at Corrin in disgust, and Elphaba chuckled. 'I'll go get some coffee to try and sober them up.'

'Good idea,' Glinda grumbled. 'I'm going to whack my dear husband in the face and then I think I'm going to retreat for the night. It's been a long day and I'm really tired.' Suddenly, a dreamy look spread across her face. 'I just said 'my husband', didn't I?'

'You did,' Elphaba confirmed, smiling. Glinda smiled, too. 'Annoying as he is right now, I think I kind of like that.'

The green girl laughed and hugged her friend before going off to find some coffee. They each fed the men two cups of black coffee before they seemed a bit more lucid, and Glinda said, 'I'm going to retreat now.'

'Glinda, no!' one of the other bridesmaids, who stood nearby, exclaimed. 'You still have to throw the bouquet!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but Glinda's face lit up. 'Oh, yes! How could I possibly forget that?' She hurried over to where she had left the flowers and shouted, 'Every lady that's not married yet, follow me!'

Fiyero poked Elphaba's side. 'You'd better go.'

She looked at him in disgust. 'Na-ah. No way. I'm _not _going to stand there with the other girls squealing about some stupid superstitious tradition.'

He pouted. 'Aw, come on, Fae.'

She opened her mouth to tell him no again, when suddenly Glinda squealed, 'Elphie! Get over her _now_!'

Elphaba grumbled, but obeyed nonetheless. Fiyero watched with a grin on his face as she reluctantly went to stand with the other girls, who were all chattering excitedly, stretching their arms as far as they could above their heads. 'Ready?' Glinda called, and the girls cheered.

Elphaba rolled her eyes again and folded her arms, determined not to try and catch the stupid bouquet. Glinda turned her back to the girls, squeezed her eyes shut and threw the bouquet over her shoulder with both hands. The girls jumped up and down, screaming, but the bouquet flew right over their stretched arms… before whacking Elphaba quite literally in the face.

She caught it in a reflex when it fell down from her face, and she blinked a few times at the pink and white flowers. The other girls made disappointed sounds and Glinda was shrieking enthusiastically, 'OH MY OZ, Elphie! I _knew _it!'

She looked up with wide eyes, right in Fiyero's face, who grinned at her, beaming. Corrin, who was standing next to the Vinkun prince, bent over a little. 'Is there something you need to tell me, Fiyero?'

Fiyero didn't tear his gaze from his lover's face, smiling at the utterly confused and slightly shocked look on her face as she kept on staring at him, then at the flowers in her hands, and then at him again. 'Who knows, Corrin,' he said mysteriously, his gaze still fixed on Elphaba. 'Who knows.'

* * *

**I thought this was a rather nice ending as well ^^. Hope you agree with me, hope you enjoyed it all and thanks again so much for being so amazing!**

**I am planning on a sequel, but I'm not sure if I'm going to write it right away or that I'm going to do another fanfic first. Anyhow, I really hope you guys will transfer with me to my next story and keep on being the wonderful readers and reviewers you've been so far :).**

**- THE END -**

**(Just in case that wasn't clear yet :P.)**


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